Anything but Paradise!
by Ashieyu66
Summary: After their plane crashes, InuYasha and Miroku along with Kagome and Sango, complete strangers, are the survivors, left stranded on an island in the middle of no where! What kind of things will happen when these personalities collide?
1. Prologue: Arguement in the Airport

Ahoyhoy! This is my first ever alternate universe InuYasha fan fiction, so please bear with any errors I make! Sorry if the format is confusing at first, but it will get better once the characters interact with each other more.PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW, as I am always steering towards improvement! Otherwise, please enjoy the story!

**Prologue: Argument in the Airport**

"_All those passengers on Flight 546, en route to Tokyo please make your way to Gate 4B, that's all passengers on Flight 546 to Tokyo to Gate 4B. Thank you."_

"Kagome, hurry up! We'll miss our flight!" Sango Watanabe shouted to her friend who was slowly trailing behind her in the crowds of the J.F.K. International Airport. They were already behind their schedule, after Kagome forgot to set the alarm the previous night.

Kagome Higurashi tried to catch up to her friend. "I'm coming! Could you slow down a little?" Sango slowed her pace to match Kagome's.

"Sorry, but I don't want to miss this flight. Otherwise, it'll be a whole week before we can get onto the next one," Sango explained. Kagome let out a small breath, and smiled.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. If only customs didn't take so long checking our bags. What do they not understand about girls liking to shop?" Kagome replied, Sango giving her a you-know-why-we're-late look. "Eh-heh…_and_ if I had remembered to set the alarm clock. I'm really sorry about that,"

Sango shrugged, readjusting the bag on her shoulder. "Well, at least we made it this far, right?" Kagome nodded, as they continued to push their way through the crowds.

When the two friends finally reached their destination, they slumped down onto the seats, relieving their aching bodies of their seemingly heavy luggage. Both got their tickets out and ready, wanting to go home.

* * *

"Why do airports have to be so crowded?" InuYasha Takahashi complained to his companion, Miroku Narita. "We should've just taken the private jet. Then we wouldn't have to face this kind of hassle,"

Miroku sighed. It was the same thing every time they went into airports. They always seemed too crowded, or the tram service was too slow, or whatever InuYasha could find to complain about. Miroku didn't seem to mind, since he got to see a lot of pretty foreign girls here. Too bad his friend didn't feel the same.

"Now, if we took the private jet, it wouldn't be as much fun. You get served the finest champagne in the world in first class, instead of the weak stuff you have in any of _your_ private jets," Miroku said, trying to cheer up his frustrated friend.

"Let me remind you who lets you _drink_ the _weak_ stuff, let alone let you fly on the jet," InuYasha replied. Miroku could only laugh.

They had spent a week in New York doing some international business for InuYasha's company, Bakuryuha Incorporate, which delt mainly with the production of software and electronics of the like. When InuYasha began talking business, Miroku usually tuned out: he was simply just the head of advertisement for the company. He knew nothing about stocks, revenue, and whatever InuYasha would babble about after a meeting.

"_All those passengers on Flight 546, en route to Tokyo please make your way to Gate 4B, that's all passengers on Flight 546 to Tokyo to Gate 4B. Thank you."_

"That would be our flight, Inu," Miroku said, following the signs that lead to Gate 4B. InuYasha did not reply, just continued making his way through the over-crowded airport of J.F.K. International.

"The soon we get back to Tokyo, the better," InuYasha said, as they waited for their flight to start boarding.

* * *

The call for their flight had been an hour ago. Kagome had begun to drift off, while Sango was flipping through the New York City tourism magazine they got at the beginning of the trip two weeks ago.

_I wonder why they haven't boarded the plane yet…_Kagome thought, as she sat up to relieve her neck from the pressure against the seat. She massaged it, looking over at the gate entrance, with a flight attendant rapidly typing at the computer.

"Sango, I'll be right back. I'm just going to see what's taking so long," Kagome told her friend, standing up. Sango nodded; she was too caught up in her magazine.

_You can be such a bookworm sometimes, Sango,_ Kagome thought as she stretched her arms and made her way to the desk where the flight attendant was typing away. Kagome let out a huge yawn. _I should've gone to bed earlier_…

Sango and Kagome had decided over a month ago that they should go to New York for the shopping vacation of their lives. Sango was in desperate need of a break from work and Kagome had needed some time away from home due to some "emotional issues," she told some people. Sango was a full-time ER doctor, and Kagome was a full-time English teacher, so they rarely got time to themselves, or for their friends. It was hard to finally convince Sango to take the time off, however, but Kagome eventually got through to her. All she had to do was be dragged by Sango through a science museum. But, Kagome got her revenge by dragging her up and down almost every street of Manhattan into every store and boutique she could find.

Now it was time to go home. Kagome felt pretty glad, and despite her continuous yawning, she felt refreshed; ready to start anew.

* * *

InuYasha was fidgeting. Miroku knew this as "somebody better get their asses moving or else". They had been called to be at the gate almost an hour ago, and the flight was supposed to leave in ten minutes. Miroku gave up talking about all the touristy things they had the opportunity to do, but InuYasha just told him to stuff it. He didn't seem to care about those things, since he had the money to go do them again whenever he wanted. Despite his rough edges, InuYasha was still a nice guy.

Miroku and InuYasha met in university, both taking the business courses. They both came from rich families and enjoyed ripping off the public from time to time. They ended up being room mates in their second year of university. They had become partners of crime: InuYasha the prankster and Miroku the master mind. Now, Miroku worked along side InuYasha as a part of his company in advertising. Miroku knew InuYasha inside and out, there was no doubt about that, but sometimes he could get a little too far…

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!" InuYasha said in rage, bursting from his seat, cutting Miroku's thoughts off. "I'm going to see what's taking so damn long!"

Miroku just sat quietly. Better let him do what he wants than get in his way.

InuYasha stormed up to the desk, where a flight attendant was typing away rapidly. He adjusted his ball cap which covered his little white dog ears, and pulled down his dark designer sun glasses to hide his brilliant amber eyes. The hat and the glasses also cut the sound and light that filled the airport. Airports were always too loud, and too bright, InuYasha thought.

* * *

Kagome reached the desk. She hadn't noticed the young man coming from behind her. At least, until he shoved her off to the side.

"Hey, what's going on here? We were called to the gate almost an hour ago!" the man said angrily at the flight attendant. Kagome was too tired to put up with impatient people shoving her over.

"Excuse me, mister! It's called waiting in line!" she said. He turned to her. He had long silver hair, wearing dark sunglasses and a black baseball cap.

"I don't remember seeing you here, missy!" he retorted, "Now why don't you just go off and read a girly magazine or something," He turned back to the flight attendant.

Kagome couldn't take that. She grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him to face her. If looks could kill, this man would certainly be dead.

"Who do you think you are? Maybe you didn't 'see' me because you shoved me off to the side! And how dare you judge me based on stupid stereotypes!" Kagome shouted, preparing to punch him out any minute.

Sango noticed her friend in the quarrel with the silver-haired man at the desk. Kagome looked pretty angry, and decided it was time to intervene. This guy certainly had a death wish, to get Kagome _that_ angry.

"What's the problem, Kagome?" Sango asked her friend, who was ready to blow up the entire airport.

* * *

Miroku looked up and saw his friend arguing with a rather attractive woman at the desk. He also noticed another very attractive woman at the scene. She seemed to have been acquainted with the girl InuYasha was arguing with. He sighed, putting down his magazine. _Why can't you be a little nicer to women, InuYasha? And here I thought Kikyo was doing miracles…_

He made his way to the desk. The flight attendant wasn't paying attention anymore: she would answer to whoever won the fight.

"Now, now, ladies, what seems to be the problem?" Miroku asked, being polite as possible.

"The problem is that you're buddy over here shoved me out of the way to get in line to speak to the attendant! And then he insulted me!" Kagome answered, trying not to throttle the jerk standing in front of her.

"As if! I didn't see ya standing here! And at least I'm not the one who grabbed me!" InuYasha yelled back.

"What? All I did was turn you around to face me! YOU'RE the one who SHOVED me over!"

"I didn't shove anybody! Now why don't you do us all a favour and get lost!"

"You get lost!"

"I was here first!"

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was!"

"No you weren't!"

Miroku and Sango both lost it.

"QUIT IT!" they shouted in unison. InuYasha and Kagome looked in their direction, looking surprised that their fight was interrupted.

"Now, both of you calm down. You're only making yourselves look worse," Sango said. Miroku nodded.

"Yes. Now, _I_ will ask the flight attendant what seems to be the problem," Miroku added, turning to the flight attendant, who tried to cover up her eavesdropping. "Miss, when do you expect us to be boarding our flight?" The flight attendant regained her stature.

"Well, the plane demonstrated failure to proper safety standards, so we were searching for a replacement, which took us longer than we expected. You should be able to board…oh, right now, actually," she replied. Miroku smiled.

"Thank you. Now, you two need to apologize to each other," Miroku added.

"What! There's no way I'm apologizing to that _wench_!" InuYasha yelled. Kagome gasped.

"And I'm not apologizing to this ignorant ass!" she replied, storming towards her luggage. Sango sighed, following.

Miroku simply sighed, and returned to his luggage. InuYasha followed, steaming.

_That's too bad…they were so attractive too…_Miroku thought, boarding the plane.

* * *

"Can you _believe_ that guy! How dare he speak to me that way!" Kagome said, following Sango, who was boarding the plane. Sango just shrugged. It was safer to just make agreeable noises, and get over it. _Soon, we'll be home…_Sango thought, after she handed the flight attendant you're ticket, going through the tunnel towards the plane.

* * *

When the two pairings entered the plane, the flight attendant closed the gate. She waited two minutes. After the time went by, she picked up the receiver and made an announcement:

"_All those passengers on Flight 546, en route to Tokyo, we regret to inform you that the flight has been cancelled due to technical difficulty. That's Flight 546, to Tokyo has been cancelled. Thank you."_

She placed the receiver down, picking it up again, dialing a number.

"Kagura here…yes, he's boarded the plane…the monk too…only these two other girls which they got in an argument with…alright, I'll inform him right away,"

Kagura hung up the receiver. She hoped that all this trouble was worth the money she was promised. She picked up the phone again, and dialed.


	2. Chapter 1: Stranded!

Yay! Thank you to my three lovely reviewers: inuyashalovebug, Phoenix Archangel and kagomefan595! Looking forward to more reviews! I hope you enjoy this first chapter of the story! Just a note: Kagura and Musou are brother/sister: to find out, read on! Enjoy!

**Chapter One: Stranded!**

Kagome sat down in a huff. She still couldn't get over about how rude that man was. Sango just looked out the window watching the maintenance personal working on the plane at the next gate.

The plane was very small, compared to the 747 that they had flown on the way to New York. Sango felt a little uneasy with such a little plane flying for over 22 hours. She could handle holding someone's liver or something, but not traveling at high speeds over the ocean.

Fifteen minutes had passed. Sango looked around the plane. Kagura the flight attendant from before was doing something in the back, while the two men that Kagome and Sango "debated" with earlier were sitting farther upfront. No one else was on the plane. Her woman's intuition was highly uneasy right now. Kagome didn't seem to notice, trying to blow off her steam by reading a novel.

_People probably got tired of waiting, and decided to catch another flight_, Sango thought. But a small twinge of nervousness still lingered in the back of her mind.

* * *

Miroku got the window seat this time. InuYasha was a little upset about this, but not as upset as he was at that woman. So far, she and her little friend were the only ones on the plane. InuYasha began to fidget again. He wanted to go home so desperately.

_Man, if I'm late coming home, Kikyo's gonna kill me!_ InuYasha thought, trying not to imagine his girlfriend's rage. Kikyo was not a very patient person. He sighed heavily.

"Just forget about it, InuYasha. I'm sure you'll never have to see her again. Although her friend was rather attractive…" Miroku said, turning to catch a glimpse at the woman who assisted him in calming the horrific storm between their friends.

"It's not just that, it's Kikyo that I'm worried about," InuYasha replied.

"Oh…I get it," Miroku simply replied, realizing the situation for what it was. Miroku had met Kikyo on numerous occasions and had witnessed her wrath. She certainly was a woman who knew what she wanted, and would certainly find a way to get it.

* * *

Kagura went into the cock pit. The pilot, Musou was flicking at buttons, making sure that the plane was "in check". Making this thing look like an accident wasn't going to be easy. He turned to look at her.

"Is everything ready?" he asked her. She nodded. He sighed; making sure his parachute was on properly. He had practiced "crashing a plane" for almost a week now. He and Kagura knew how the procedure was going to go.

"Alright, then let's get this over and done with," he said, flicking on the seatbelt sign on. Kagura left to do the normal flight attendant reel, as he put the plane into motion. He radioed the tower, who gave him permission to use the runway. In a few short hours, this plane would be irretrievable, and he and Kagura would disappear.

* * *

The seatbelt sign flashed on. Everyone (the only four people on the plane) clicked their seatbelts on as they paid little attention to the demonstration the flight attendant was giving. They seemed to know how everything works, even though nothing ever happens. The plane took off into the air. The skyline of New York began to distance itself below. The two women were reading books and the two men were having small talk. Kagura watched them from behind the curtain, looking at them with pity.

_They really don't know that this is their last day…_

_

* * *

_

Five hours had gone by. They were now flying over the ocean. It was mid-day; the sun was shining brightly, and there was little turbulence throughout the time they spent on the plane. The friend of the silver-haired man had left his seat to chat with Sango only a few hours earlier. But due to him trying to pull some advances on her, it didn't go too well. Now both women had a vendetta against the two men on board. It had certainly been an interesting few hours with these people for Kagura (he tried to hit on her too, before the woman named Sango slapped him for that too), and felt kind of sad that it was soon to end.

Musou had called her in to tell her it was time. He checked his parachute again, to make sure it was secure. For the past week, there had always been a rescue team to assist if something went wrong. Now, it was the real thing, and there was no one but themselves.

Kagura went to check to make sure they were in their seats. She closed the curtain. She removed her flight attendant uniform to reveal what looked like a scuba diving suit, with her parachute attached. She looked at her brother, who was removing the detonator from his bag. He opened the hatch; a huge gust of air trying to suck them out hitting hard. They both put on their goggles, and jumped. Once far enough, Musou pushed the detonator. Kagura looked up at a burning inferno up above them. They released their parachutes, and landed gracefully in the water. A speed boat came by and the siblings sped away to freedom.

* * *

It all happened so fast. Kagome found herself drifting off into sleep, before she heard a deafening explosion coming from in front of her. She felt great heat strike her face, and she opened her eyes to see only fire. She heard the engine of the plane fighting off the heat, and felt the plane descending. Sango was trying to recover her injured ears when she too felt the plane going downwards. Her greatest fear was being realized.

Miroku had been knocked unconscious by a piece of metal that struck him when the explosion occurred. InuYasha ignored the massive cut to his head and tried to bring Miroku back to consciousness. The plane was now descending at rapid speeds. InuYasha looked out the window and saw that the Earth was coming closer and closer with every second. Everyone in the plane had only one thought:

_Oh my God, I'm going to die_.

The plane hit the Earth, the impact knocking everyone unconscious.

* * *

_"Kagome? Kagome, are you okay?"_ Kagome heard a voice ask her. The voice seemed far away, but it seemed familiar. She slowly came back to consciousness to find Sango kneeling next to her, shaking her gently. Her head felt like it was going to burst a blood vessel any minute; the rest of her body felt the same. Kagome sat up, a harsh pain sweeping from her neck to her toes. She noticed she was still in the plane.

"Wh…what happened?" she asked, her voice barely audible, trying to stand up. Sango helped her up; still thanking the gods she and Kagome were alive.

"There was an explosion, and the plane crashed. But luckily, it crashed on land…and we survived," Sango explained, leading her friend out of the plane to show her where they had arrived to.

The bright sun hurt Kagome's eyes. She felt exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Kagome felt soft beach sand under her feet as she walked out of the plane into the shade of palm trees. In front of her was a beach, with a crisp blue ocean surging along the shore. She looked behind her, and saw the wreckage of the plane, the front of the plane completely destroyed, and the rest of the body severely damaged, yet somehow still intact. She looked to her left, where she saw two figures standing. It took her two minutes to realize who they were; _the same two men from earlier._ They walked in their direction.

"Oh, you're still alive, wench?" the silver-haired man said to Kagome. That just made her more furious.

"I'm NOT a wench, you asshole!" she retorted, "The name is Kagome! Got that? Not wench, bitch, or any other creative insult you come up with!"

"I'll call you whatever I want!" he responded, fixing his ball cap. His glasses had been shattered after the blast, revealing his golden eyes. However, Kagome was too busy hoping he would burst in flames any minute now to notice. She turned around and began walking the opposite direction, following the beach. She heard Sango calling her name, and the jerk's perverted friend chiding him for being so rude. She wasn't going to stay on some God-forsaken island with a bunch of rude assholes.

Sango eventually caught up to her friend. "Kagome, please come back!" she said, pleadingly, keeping up with Kagome's pace. "If InuYasha insults you again, I'll beat him up for you, okay?" Sango was a black belt in karate.

Kagome paused. So InuYasha was his name?

"Right now, we all need to worry about shelter and fire, to help us survive this, okay? Don't bug out on me now," Sango said, with her hands on Kagome's shoulders.

Kagome looked at her friend. She was determined to survive. But something about her expression was telling Kagome that she needed someone to help her beat up the pervert rather than InuYasha. She sighed.

"Okay…but you better beat him up before _I_ do," she replied. Sango smiled, and they headed back towards the others. The perverted one came up to apologize, InuYasha trailing behind him, pouting like a little child.

"Kagome, was it? Hello, I'm Miroku, and this is InuYasha. We would like to apologize for any misunderstandings that we have had until now," he said, very politely. InuYasha just gave a short, "Feh".

"Alright," Kagome replied. Sango then took over.

"First, we're going to need to have shelter or some sort. Then we have to find fire wood for fire, and then find some food and a fresh water source," she explained. Needless to say Sango has taken her share of survival courses. Miroku smiled.

"That sounds like an excellent plan, Sango. I will be _glad_ to help you find fire wood, and maybe start some _sparks_, or something?" he said, leaning in and touching her butt. Sango screamed, and a loud _twap _was sent echoing for miles. A huge red handprint was now on Miroku's face.

"You come any where near me, I will beat you so hard you'll wish your hands were cut off!" she threatened. Kagome didn't know whether to be disgusted, to be laughing, or surprised. InuYasha just rolled his eyes. He must have seen this many times.

"Well, since the plane seems to be intact, we could probably use it for shelter," Kagome suggested, to change the topic.

"Who made you leader?" InuYasha said confrontationally.

"I was only suggesting! We need _something _for shelter!" she responded.

"I _know_ that!"

"Well, then why are you upset that I suggested it? Jealous that you didn't think of it first?"

"No! I thought of that before you did!"

"Why didn't you say anything then?"

"I was going to, but then you opened your fat mouth!"

"Asshole!"

"Bitch!"

Miroku and Sango watched the two fight it out for a while, and they went to go find fire wood, Sango being weary of the hands of Miroku. Unfortunately, she let her guard down for one minute, and he got his hands on her once more. Another _twap_ was sent through the air waves.

It was going to be an interesting journey.


	3. Chapter 2: Hanyous and Survival

Hey all! Sorry I took so long with getting this written. I've been pretty busy and lazy, and I hope you forgive me! Please REVIEW and enjoy!

**Chapter 2: They Didn't Mention Hanyous in the Survival Handbook!**

Three days went by, and the tension between the groups of strangers only thickened.

Miroku had more red hand prints on his face than any normal human being could count. Sango's arm and hand had seemed to have stayed in a slapping position. InuYasha and Kagome had begun to lose their voices from the constant bickering. Surprisingly, however, they managed to get many things done.

When InuYasha and Kagome had finished fighting the first day, they got to work, finally. InuYasha had somehow managed to move the plane from its landing zone to near the fire pit they built on the beach. While Kagome and Sango searched for any food stubs on the plane, Miroku and InuYasha went searching for a clean water source, and found one not too far from "base camp" and cleared a trail. It was a little spring with a medium size waterfall flowing in from the small dormant volcano which comprised most of the island.

Sleeping quarters had been tough to determine, as Miroku wanted them to just sleep next to each other, rather than separate. Unfortunately for him, everyone else did not wish to do so, and so they divided the inside of the plane in half, putting up a curtain made of palm tree leaves to mark the border. To make more room, InuYasha and Miroku removed most of the seats inside the plane and put them around the fire pit for seating.

But, these completed tasks did not make things any easier. They still had to be in each other's company. And what was worse was that the entire front of the plane had been eaten away by flames, meaning any chance of using a radio had been eradicated. Three days, seemed like a life time to Kagome, especially with InuYasha around.

Kagome was gathering wood for the fire, while InuYasha was sitting in one of the airplane seats, reclined on the beach. Miroku was gathering palm tree leaves to patch up holes in the plane for when it rained, being assisted by the watchful eye of Sango. Kagome looked over at him in disgust. Everyone else was doing something, why couldn't he?

She dropped her pile of sticks and such and stormed over to him.

"Who do you think you are! Get off your ass and do something!" Kagome shouted, apparently waking him from a small nap. It seemed to have energized him enough to compete against Kagome.

"Make me, wench!" he replied, adjusting himself comfortably in the chair. He pulled his hat to cover his face from the sun, and fixed his sunglasses. Kagome had had it.

She went into the plane and found a plastic container which was full of ice. She emptied the ice into another container, and stormed to the ocean. She filled the container with water, which was seemingly cold. She smirked as she made her way towards InuYasha, who had gone back to his nap.

_Try this, rich boy!_ She thought, as she now stood beside him. She lifted the container, and threw the water in InuYasha's direction.

_Splash!_

InuYasha jumped out of the chair immediately. He was soaked from head to toe.

"Look what you did, bitch!" he yelled. Kagome snickered.

"Oh, good, you're up. I'm sure Miroku and Sango need help patching the plane," Kagome said, smiling. She turned around to put the container where she found it. Miroku and Sango were laughing as they witnessed Kagome's interesting prank. InuYasha was pissed.

He began devising his revenge as he made his way towards the plane.

Nights on the island had been humid, but quiet. At least, they _were_. The fire still burned as everyone went to bed. It was now InuYasha's chance at payback.

* * *

Kagome struggled to find comfort while she tried to go to sleep. She was satisfied with the day's events. It was about time someone stood up to that jerk! She sighed and closed her eyes.

InuYasha waited a few minutes before putting his ultimate revenge into action. He checked to make sure Miroku was sleeping, and heard if there was any motion on the other half of the plane. When he felt he was safe to move, he got up. He sneaked to the small door that had been constructed when they first arrived. As he tried to open it, it made a squeaking sound. Miroku stirred. InuYasha froze in his tracks.

"Where you going…?" Miroku mumbled.

"Just to the bathroom," InuYasha whispered, and Miroku rolled back over. InuYasha wiped the sweat on his forehead, and made his way outside.

Once on the beach, he sniggered to himself about how brilliant his plan was. He searched along the border of the beach and the jungle and found what he was looking for. The little spider was pretty cute, and didn't understand why girls found them so disgusting. It squirmed in InuYasha's hand, as he recalled what happened only a day ago.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Everyone looked towards the direction of Kagome's voice. She was running in their direction, with a horrid expression on her face. Only Sango recognized it for what it was.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Miroku asked. Kagome tried to catch her breath.

"Sp-sp-sp-sp…" she sputtered. Sango finished her sentence.

"Spider. Kagome is deathly afraid of spiders," she explained. Kagome shuddered as Sango spoke.

"It was huge! And hairy! It was disgusting!" Kagome panted, holding herself tightly, "it was this big!" She demonstrated using her hands, making the size of a golf ball.

"Feh, that's nothing! Jeese, you're such a scaredy cat!" InuYasha retorted.

"Shut up, ass!" Kagome shouted back.

Yes, revenge would be sweet. He looked in the opening on the girls' side. They seemed to be sound asleep. He held in his laughter, and went to the task at hand.

He moved silently towards Kagome, when he felt a small pain in his head. It had been hurting for the past three days, but InuYasha felt it was just a headache from that stupid girl.

Kagome was sleeping soundly at this point. Sango was breathing heavily, making slapping motions in her sleep. She even couldn't stand him in her dreams.

InuYasha put his hand above Kagome's legs. At that moment, his conscience seemed to interfere.

_Don't do it!_ He retracted his hand.

Why not? She's a bitch! He put his hand back into position.

_Two wrongs don't make a right! _He removed his hand again.

Who cares? It's not like I'm going to hurt her! It's just a stupid spider!

_But she's afraid of spiders, very DANGEROUSLY afraid of spiders!_

Oh well, she can suck it up!

_But what if she goes into a serious shock? She COULD get hurt!_

He argued with himself for the next two minutes. The spider had stopped moving, giving up any hopes of escaping InuYasha's grasp. His head was hurting more than ever, especially where the cut on his head was.

"Fuck!" he said out loud, unable to make a decision. Kagome stirred.

_Oh shit, I'm screwed!_ InuYasha thought. Kagome opened her eyes.

"Wh…what are you doing?" she asked drearily. She noticed his clasped hand above her legs. There was something…moving! It dawned on her.

"Oh my God!" she screamed, moving away from him. Sango opened her eyes, to find out what was going on. She looked at InuYasha in a dazed confusion, and then looked at what Kagome was trying to hide from. Miroku lifted the curtain of palm leaves separating the sleeping quarters. He rubbed his eyes, as if being awoken from a deep slumber.

Sango went to comfort her friend. She turned to InuYasha.

"Leave! Get that thing out of here!" she said, with an if-not-I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass look on her face. InuYasha glared at her, but did as she was told. Kagome was in tears now.

InuYasha left the plane. He threw the spider back into the jungle, wiping his hand on the side of his pants. He massaged his head with the other. He had felt his first twinge of guilt since he arrived on the island.

Kagome stormed out to confront InuYasha. He had gone too far. She thanked the gods that she woke up when she did. She also asked them for the strength to give him an ass-whooping.

"You! How _dare_ you! You have _no_ idea how angry and scared I am right now! You better pray for a miracle, because once I'm finished with you, you'll need one! You stupid bas—"

"Look, I'm sor—" _Twap!_

Kagome slapped him. She didn't mean to slap so hard, but she did. His hat and the sunglasses he always wore (even during the night) flew off his head. Kagome gasped at what she saw. InuYasha stood in shock, knowing that his secret had been exposed to complete strangers.

Sango and Miroku were watching from afar. Sango gaped, and Miroku sighed.

_They were bound to find out eventually_, Miroku thought.

A pair of gold eyes now had been stuck onto Kagome, and a pair of white dog ears had twitched in reaction to the small breeze. A huge cut had also occupied half his forehead, which was now bleeding slightly.

"Oh my God…" Kagome whispered.

"You happy now?" InuYasha said back. Kagome backed away.

"Sango, can you get me the first aid kit?" Kagome called. Sango nodded and went back into the plane. InuYasha stood there.

_Doesn't she see?_ InuYasha thought as Kagome returned with the first aid kit. Miroku and Sango retired back into their beds.

"That's a nasty cut," she said, taking a hold of his arm and dragging him to the fire pit, forcing him to sit in a chair next to her. He felt slightly uncomfortable with her touching him like this. She opened the first aid kit.

"What are you doing, stupid wench?" he asked. Kagome was rummaging through the first aid kit. She pulled out cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol.

"It's Kagome. I'm cleaning that cut. It looks infected," she replied, no emotion on her face, but a hint of concern in her voice.

"It's fine. I don't need _you_ to take care of me," he spat back. She opened the bottle of rubbing alcohol. The stench made InuYasha's nose wretch.

"Sure. That's why you've been massaging your head," she simply answered, leaning forward to dab the cotton swab on his cut. He leaned away in defiance.

"No! That stuff stinks!" he complained. She grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, pulling him towards her. She looked him in the eyes.

"We need to get that cut cleaned, or you could be in serious trouble," she replied, now tenderly holding his face, gently dabbing the cotton swab on the cut. He winced slightly as the alcohol stung against the open wound. Kagome, taking notice to this, blew on it lightly, putting her other hand on his face. He looked into her eyes, and she looked into his. Her hands felt warm against his face. For the first time, neither of them felt anger towards each other.

When things became uncomfortable for the two, they looked away. Kagome removed her hands from her face, and continued cleaning the cut. InuYasha cleared his throat.

"So, you know that I'm a hanyou, right?" InuYasha asked. Kagome continued cleaning, showing no reaction.

"I kinda figured it out, after seeing the ears and all," she replied, pulling out a roll of gauge, "I actually dated a youkai once, so it doesn't really bother me. Besides, you're ears are pretty cute," She looked up at his ears and smiled. InuYasha blushed slightly.

"Th-their just ears," he replied bluntly. Kagome giggled quietly.

Afterwards, they didn't say much. The only sound they heard was Sango screaming, and yet another _twap_ echoing through the night.

* * *

Meanwhile, in civilization, a young woman looked down at the busy life on the street below. Tokyo streets were always busy at this time of night. She enjoyed looking down on some of the lower lives from fifty stories up. A phone ringing broke her deep thought. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"It's all been taken care of. By tomorrow, the company should be yours," the man named Musou said on the other end.

"That's good to know. And the perverted friend of his…?"

"Also destroyed. There were also two other women, but I doubt they will be missed. Kagura erased their records from the flight," Musou explained.

"Excellent. I'll see you get your payment,"

"You better," he replied, hanging up. She did the same.

_Excellent. Now that InuYasha's out of the picture, the company will be mine, and I no longer have to be in that relationship!_ She thought, when there was a knocking at the door. She turned around. There was a male with long dark hair, with crimson-like eyes. She walked over, and hugged him, giving him a light kiss on the lips.

"Hey, Naraku, can't wait to tell you the news," she said, a small evil smile on her face. His smiled was more wicked than hers, and she loved it.

"Can't wait to hear it…Kikyo,"


	4. Chapter 3: Pleasant Dream & Evil Scheme

Hello all! Sorry this took me forever to get up! But school has been coming down, I have cadets, concert band, and a real lack of creativity! Since cadets is almost over, I'll have more time to work on it, so I'll try have a new chapter out every Monday for you guys! I apologize for the shortness of this chapter! It kinda sucks when you work on something for almost an hour or two and it only turns out to be apage ortwo long. Ah well.Thanks for being so patient! Please REVIEW! I like reviews! Please enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Pleasant Dreams and Evil Schemes**

_"InuYasha…InuYasha…Master InuYasha? Oh, get up already!"_

InuYasha slowly opened eyes, his weary self following the familiar voice from slumber. A pair of large eyes greeted his, and the feeling of warm cotton engulfed his body.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," the man said. He was skinny, with grey hair, pulled into a small pony tail. InuYasha sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Huh? Totousai? But…how…?" he said to his manservant. Everything around him smelled and felt so familiar.

"You were sleeping, so I took the liberty of waking you up. It's five in the evening, you were very tired when you returned from your business trip," Totousai explained. InuYasha massaged his temples. Didn't his plane crash on that island? Where was Miroku? What about Sango and Kagome? When did InuYasha get home?

"Totousai, didn't my plane crash? I swear that yesterday I was on the island with Miroku, and these two women named Sango and Kagome…" InuYasha said, his manservant giving him an odd look.

"You must've been dreaming, because you and Narita-san arrived safely last night. Come, Myoga is preparing a lovely meal for you. You must be hungry. He's making steak," Totousai explained.

InuYasha crawled out of bed. He could smell the steak, cooking in the frying pan, with some potatoes, and he heard the martini shaker mixing his favourite Manhattan on the rocks drink. It seemed like eternity since his lips had come in contact with these delicacies. His stomach growled, and his mouth filled with saliva as the smells became stronger. He still couldn't believe that everything that had happened had been a dream.

Did that mean that Kagome didn't exist? Was it just his mind playing on an image of Kikyo? Because she did look a lot like her…but just a completely different personality; at least Kikyo wasn't stubborn or difficult.

_Ah well. Good riddance. _InuYasha thought as he entered the dining room. He took a seat at the far end of the table, waiting for the source of the intoxicating scents.

The doors at the other end of the hall opened, and revealed his secretary, the young kitsune named Shippo. He was just as he remembered; always in a well tailored suit, red hair pulled back, palm pilot in hand. And as annoying as ever.

"Finally! I thought you went into a coma! Surely the trip wasn't _that_ tiring," he said, InuYasha glaring. This was Shippo's cue to shut up and get down to business.

"First, Kikyo called; she wanted you to call her back when you woke up. Said something about having lunch tomorrow or something," Shippo reported. The thought of Kikyo stirred the memory of the girl from his 'dream', Kagome. Shippo continued on.

"Then, your brother, Sesshomaru, from New York called. Wanted to make sure you got home alright; said that he would be the one to kill you, not a stupid air craft, or something along those lines," Stupid brother of his.

"Then Miroku called, said that he was taking the day off, to catch up on needed sleep, because you snore apparently, kept him up all week. Then the office called a few times, with the same old 'Oh my God you're not here, how do we run the business' thing," Shippo closed his palm pilot, and took a seat at the other end of the table.

InuYasha just sat there, staring at his plate, waiting for his food to arrive. He would get back to returning those calls after dinner. He felt like he had only been living on coconuts and airplane food for the longest time.

The steak scent came closer, along with the strange scent of ocean air. He rested his head back into the chair, closing his eyes. He began to hear ocean waves hitting the shore, and his chair seemed to have fallen backwards, but InuYasha couldn't move. He now felt like he was lying in a pit of sand. The smell of steak still lingered, so he didn't think anything of the new sensations around him. A small breeze was drifting buy. A young woman's voice was calling him. It seemed far away, getting closer…it sounded so familiar.

"_InuYasha…? InuYashaaa?_" it called. It was closer now, the savory scent of steak overpowered by ocean air. "InuYasha!" He felt himself being shaken.

He opened his eyes, where he was greeted by Kagome looming over him, with Miroku and Sango standing beside her.

"Sleep well?" Kagome asked, checking the bandage on his head, which she applied the night before. He sat up, allowing himself to return to reality.

_It was all a dream!_ He thought, beginning to pout. Kagome looked at him oddly.

_What's his problem?_ She thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, in civilization, Kikyo looked down at the bustling streets of Tokyo from the top floor office, once belonging to InuYasha, in the Bakuryuha Incorporate Tower. She smiled; everything went exactly how she had hoped.

When she met InuYasha two years ago, he seemed like the perfect man to hook up with: good looking and rich. He had just inherited his company from his father, his brother inheriting the American company of Bakuryuha Incorporate, Tenseiga Corporations. The money was rolling in, and he spoiled her, for a year and a half.

But the past six months had been different. She was getting bored with him. He was always away on business. He wanted to do 'romantic' things with her, like just take a walk or he would give her roses instead of her coveted diamonds. He talked about family and the future. She was turned off by it all. Sure, in bed he was amazing, but otherwise, she just wasn't interested.

Then she met Naraku. He was the unidentified leader of the Tokyo mafia, which made him way more interesting than InuYasha. He wanted nothing but power, a weakness they both shared. He was rather handsome himself, and rich, since he could get all the money he wanted with a snap of his fingers. A hanyou himself, he also had extraordinary powers, but he put them to better use than InuYasha did; who didn't really use them at all. They had been having an ongoing affair since they met.

But Kikyo wanted something more. The company had great potential, but it wasn't hers. So she sought the help of Naraku's techniques. They had both devised a plan on how to get rid of InuYasha. He would get his henchmen, Kagura, Musou and Kanna. Kanna would forge a fake will in InuYasha's writing stating that the company should be given to Kikyo if he died, and even had his lawyers sign it. Kagura and Musou would hack into the airline and airport employee system, enlisting Kagura as a flight attendant and him a pilot, where they would infiltrate the plane InuYasha was to board. Kikyo decided to get rid of Miroku, to make it more convincing. They would make sure Musou would know how to crash the plane and get him and Kagura out of there, and that they had a different unlisted plane so that no one could track or locate it. It took a lot of money, but in the end it was worth it.

The plane had crashed. No one could find it. No one cared. She was the CEO of the company now, Naraku her new boyfriend and a life full of riches ahead of her. She felt no guilt. She thought that maybe she should move into InuYasha's mansion too. She and Naraku could live with their endless bounds of money there together.

Yes. Everything was going exactly how she planned.

* * *

The storm clouds had rolled in so suddenly. They were dark and menacing. The wind was now picking up and harsh. Soon, thunder and lightning crashed all around them. Rain was falling down like mini torpedoes. InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango had sought shelter in their little plane, which offered decent protection. The powerful wind had rocked the plane slightly now and then.

The leaf fronds on the exploded ends of the plane had begun to blow off, so everyone took down the ones creating the border between the male/female sleeping quarters to replace the ones which had escaped in the wind.

An hour went by. And there they sat. No conversation. Just sitting there.

The silence was killing Miroku. He got up and begun digging through the overhead compartments, of what little had survived the crash. He seemed to found what he was looking for, since he turned around with a smile on his face.

"What are you so giddy about?" InuYasha asked grimly.

"Because…I found my playing cards!" he said happily. The others fell over, at the man's answer. "Oh come on! It's something to do!" he added.

Kagome nodded. She had to admit, it was getting boring. At least cards offered something to pass the time, especially in this storm. She encouraged the others to join.

"Miroku is right. It's better than sitting around like bumps on a log, with our brains melting into goo," Sango thought about it for a moment.

"I guess so," she replied, sitting between Miroku and Kagome. Kagome turned over to InuYasha.

"What about you?" she asked. He snorted.

"As if I wanna play childish card games with _you_ people," he answered. Kagome tugged at his arm.

"Aw, c'mon, it'll be fun! Please, for the sake of our sanity and yours!" she pleaded, giving the best puppy eyes she could muster. He looked at her for a moment, and then gave in.

"Fine, I'll play your stupid card games already!" Kagome's mom had once told her that she could manipulate anyone with her puppy eyes.

They formed a small circle, and Miroku began shuffling the cards. Sango noticed the picture on the back; a scantily clad women with a martini glass.

"You seem to have good taste," she said sarcastically. He chuckled.

"So what game are we going to play?" Kagome asked, almost as if she was excited to be playing. Miroku had a sly grin on his face.

"I was thinking…strip poker,"

Not even the thunder could compare to the sound of Sango's hand coming into contact with Miroku's face. "Or not," he replied meekly.

"Oh! How about old maid?" Kagome said; face lighting up with every passing moment. InuYasha took notice to the strange behavior.

"What're you so happy about? It's just cards," he said. She smiled.

"It's been a while since I've played cards in a group like this. Lately, I've taken up to solitaire or computer games," she explained. "Keh," was InuYasha's only reply.

After, everyone had agreed to play old maid. It was completely dark outside now, the storm at its worse, but none took notice. They all shared jokes and little anecdotes about each other, laughing at the new owner of the 'old maid'. Even InuYasha had joined in on the sharing of stories. None of them had seen each other so natural and at peace before.

When the storm began to die down, so did the party. Miroku and Sango were talking to each other about their occupations and lives at home and such, and Kagome noticed how close together they were, under the blanket, trying to get some warmth. But she also took note at Sango's watchful eye on Miroku's hand.

A brisk breeze flew by, giving Kagome the chills. She held onto herself to keep warm, when a blanket came around her shoulders and body as well. She looked to see InuYasha sitting next to her, blushing slightly.

"I noticed you were cold, so…" he started. She inched closer to InuYasha to get warm.

"It's okay. Thank you. That's very kind of you," she replied. He snorted.

"Don't get in over your head; this is just paying back for cleaning the cut on my head and an apology for the whole spider thing. I still think…" He was cut off by her head now resting on his shoulder. His cheeks flushed more.

"Whatever. Thanks anyways," she answered, sounding as if she was drifting to sleep. Miroku had seemed to drift off, and Sango as well, as her head was also resting on his shoulder. He felt himself getting sleepy. The sound of a light rain and ocean waves lightly coming up on shore was hypnotizing. His head began to fall, his eyes drooping. He took a deep breath, and a waft of Kagome's scent filled his nose. Even though they had been on this island for almost four or five days now, Kagome smelled really nice, more intoxicating then the steak from his dream earlier that morning.

He took one more breath, feeling his head now resting on his. He listened to Kagome's light breathing, subconsciously falling into sync with it. He felt his arms now holding onto Kagome, as sleep began to take over him. Everything seemed far away…it was just her and him now…and with that last thought, InuYasha fell asleep.

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REVIEW PLEASE!


	5. Chapter 4: Bad News

Hey! I actually got it out _earlier_ than I had said I would! woOt! I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with this chapter when I first started writing it, but I think it came out nicely. Here's some hints: Sesshy, Kikyo 1/2 busted and Miroku/Sango fluff! Please enjoy this chapter of 'Anything but Paradise'! REVIEW PLEASE!

**Shoutin' out** **to**

**Hearii-Sama**I actually didn't think about ending the chapter with fluff, but I think I needed to get the relationships moving forward!

**Phoenix Archangel**Haha! The dream sequence I thought about doing for a while. I felt kinda bad that he didn't get his steak, so maybe I'll give it to him near the end of the story! .

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**Chapter 4: Bad News**

"PERVERT!"

Kagome opened her eyes wearily to the sound of Sango slapping Miroku. Kagome yawned and noticed that her upper body was lying on top of InuYasha. His arms were still around her; apparently the noise hadn't fazed him yet. She concluded that he must've fallen over sometime during the night before.

"You stupid, stupid, stupid _pervert_!" Sango was screaming from outside the shelter. Kagome heard Miroku's pleas for forgiveness. Half of her wanted to go check things out between the two, but the other half wanted to stay with InuYasha and sleep.

Another 'twap' echoed the air. Kagome noticed InuYasha beginning to stir, as he moaned back into consciousness.

"What's going on?" he said in a lazy yawn. He sat up, Kagome still close and in his arms. She yawned again.

"Sango's just beating the shit out of Miroku again," she said. He used his available arm to rub the sleepiness away from his eyes. He looked down at Kagome, who had a very bad case of bed head. Small beams of morning sunlight were coming through the airplane windows, and hit Kagome just right. She seemed so peaceful, and looked so much like…

Sango came storming into the plane, fuming. Miroku followed her with several red marks imprinted on his face.

"What happened, Sango?" Kagome asked.

"This _idiot_ decided it would be a _lovely_ wake-up call to grope me! Again!" she screamed. InuYasha massaged his ears.

"I'm sorry Sango! Please forgive me!" Miroku said pleadingly, looking for forgiveness from the angered woman. "Somebody help me out here!"

The others just gave him indifferent looks.

"You had it coming," InuYasha bluntly stated.

"Should've thought about this _before_ you laid hands on her," Kagome added.

Sango turned to Miroku, hand extended to her apparent supporters.

"See! I told you! You perverted moron!" she said, storming out of the plane once more. Miroku went to follow her, when Kagome spoke up.

"Just give her space. I know Sango: she'll cool off," she said softly. Miroku said nothing, and sat down, leaning against the same wall which he and Sango leaned against the night before.

"Kagome, may I ask you something?" Miroku asked quietly. He had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Uh, sure," she responded. Miroku kept the thoughtful expression.

"Can a woman's trust and friendship be lost forever by stroking her butt?" he asked.

Kagome should have seen it coming.

"Well, first of all, most women don't like having guys just randomly grope them," she replied.

"Really? I've done it many times before to other women, and they don't mind," he mentioned. Kagome sighed.

"I can't account for _those_ women, but Sango, as you can tell, doesn't like it. She's been through a lot lately. My best guess is that she doesn't know what to think of you; I mean, one minute you're decent, then perverted the next," Kagome explained. Miroku perked up at the 'she's been through a lot' statement.

"It may seem rude, but what has she been through?" Miroku asked. Kagome didn't know if she should answer him or not. For one thing, it wasn't her business or his, and she wasn't sure if Sango liked other people telling others her life story. But if Kagome didn't tell him, he would most likely never hear it from Sango. She didn't share much about her life with others.

"Well, promise you won't tell her I told you. She might tell you someday," Kagome said.

"I promise," Miroku answered.

And she told him.

* * *

The fool.

Sesshomaru sat at his desk in the Tensegia Corporations tower in New York City. He fiddled with his pen, playing an unsynchronized rhythm on the edge of the arm rest. He stared at the phone, which he hung up only minutes ago.

_"Sesshomaru-sama, there's a phone call from InuYasha's secretary on line four," said his Rin, his own secretary over the intercom._

_"Thank you," he replied as he picked up the phone. "Sesshomaru here,"_

_"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama. This is InuYasha's secretary, Shippo calling. I'm afraid I have some bad news about your half-brother…" Shippo trailed off, as if afraid to tell him._

_"Spit it out," Sesshomaru said._

_"I'm sorry_ _to inform your half-brother is missing. We believe that his plane crashed en route home to Tokyo, and the plane cannot be found…he is presumed to be dead, sir…" the kitsune explained. Sesshomaru remained silent, allowing the news to sink in._

_"I am sorry for your loss, sir," he added._

_"Very well then," Sesshomaru replied, hanging up the phone._

He had been in silence since. He adjusted the glasses on his face. He stared out the window. He fiddled with his pen some more.

The fool.

Sesshomaru clenched his fist. He did not have a fondness for his brother, but he had to admit that he was a liable business asset. Not that he admitted that to anyone. He didn't even like admitting it to himself.

Then he had to go and get himself killed.

It was at that moment his personal assistant, the toad demon Jaken, came running in frantically.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Have you heard the terrible news?" he said between breaths.

"Indeed I have," Sesshomaru replied, "What has happened as a result?"

Jaken straightened himself up, trying to look and sound intelligent, most of the time, failing at both.

"Stocks for the company have declined immensely- but are still holding firm, everyone is in a panic, and that wretch's girlfriend has taken over his company!" Jaken said, sounding furious with the last statement. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, sending chills up Jaken's spine.

"What?" he said almost in a whisper, his face showing no expression. Jaken loosened his collar on his suit.

"Well, uh…apparently it was in InuYasha's will that she take over the company if he died, and um, since the chances of surviving a plane crash…" Jaken sputtered out.

Sesshomaru stared at his desk, contemplating his options. He clicked his pen. Jaken wiped the small amount of perspiration off his brow. Then, Sesshomaru leaned forward and pressed the intercom.

"Rin, could you come in here please?" he said. Immediately, a young girl wearing a light orange business suit and long black hair in a pony tail came in, with a notepad in hand.

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked.

"You and Jaken pack your bags. Get the private jet ready," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," she responded, writing it all down.

"Sesshomaru-sama, what are you--?" Jaken began. Sesshomaru stood up from his desk.

"We're going to Tokyo,"

* * *

It had been five days since InuYasha was supposed to return. Five days. It had only been three days ago that Shippo learned of the tragedy. Although Shippo bugged InuYasha to the last inch of his sanity, and InuYasha acted like a complete jerk all the time, Shippo missed him. And Miroku too. He couldn't believe that the CEO and the head of advertisement were just gone, like that.

The people in the office were at a panic. Without their leader, they were just headless chickens; running into everything, lost in what to do.

Especially since the reading of his will was done, that stated that his girlfriend, Kikyo, would get control the company if he were to die. This had come as a shock to everyone. Surely InuYasha would've given the company to one of his trusted board members, or maybe his butler Totousai, or maybe even Sesshomaru. Definitely not Kikyo.

Ever since the reading, Shippo had his suspicions about the woman's motives. She showed no sign of sadness; she didn't even arrange a service for the loss of her lover. He noticed that she spent a lot of time in InuYasha's office, but for all he knew, she could be mourning InuYasha in solitude.

He still couldn't think of why InuYasha would hand over his company to Kikyo, though. She had no business experience or seemed to care about it at all. Shippo had known InuYasha for a long time, and this was out of character for him. Kikyo never seemed to be fond of InuYasha always working; but she sure liked the money it produced. Deep down, Shippo felt that Kikyo was a gold digger.

He made his way up to what was now her office, to let her know her messages. She refused any one to call her office directly; she wanted messages to be taken, and for him to always knock before entering. That in itself was suspicious.

He approached the door, his hand inches from knocking when he heard voices…was that…laughter…that he heard?

Shippo leaned his ear up against the door. It was true; there was laughing, coming from Kikyo.

_So much for 'mourning'_, he thought. Then another, unfamiliar voice filled Shippo's ears, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. It was a voice from a male.

There was silence for a moment, when something got knocked over. Both laughed quietly, Kikyo playfully 'shhing' the other man. Silence again. Shippo looked around to make sure no one was watching, and he pressed his ear closer.

He heard heavy breathing. Shippo moved so his eyes were looking in the gap between the two big doors. Although somewhat unclear, Shippo knew exactly what he saw.

_Another man caressing Kikyo's neck_.

He quietly backed away, walking back towards his desk. He pulled out his cell phone. Quietly he dialed a number, and informed the receiver of what he just saw.

* * *

Miroku looked at Sango from a far. He looked at her in a different aspect now; she was clearly different from the other girls he knew, the ones desperate for his attention, desperate for his wandering hand.

She was walking along the beach, but Miroku found her to almost be floating. Her head was facing the sand, feet occasionally being covered by the light ocean surf. The sunrise giving her a picturesque silhouette, the light ocean breeze catching her hair and her clothes…she was beautiful.

After what Kagome had told Miroku and InuYasha about Sango's past, Miroku began to hate himself for being so selfish. He had reflected, and noticed the sad look that occupied Sango's eyes. Now he understood. Why hadn't he noticed before?

Twinges of guilt ate at him, but the peaceful sadness that Sango was displaying now made him smile. Most of his 'fan club' as he called them tried everything in the book to look attractive to him, from pounds of make-up and hair products, and some went as far as plastic surgery. But Sango…her hair in small knots in her pony tail, rips in her clothing…Sango didn't need to try. She was naturally beautiful.

She looked up at him, noticing the peaceful look on his face. She seemed hurt, but calmed down from before. She made her way toward him, and he made his way toward her. When they reached each other, there was an awkward silence between them. To Miroku's surprise, Sango was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier…" she said quietly, looking sheepishly at her feet.

"It's me who should be apologizing Sango. I shouldn't have behaved that way, it was very ungentle man-like of me," he responded. She turned away from him.

"There are just a lot of things I'm going through right now," she explained. Sadness covered every word. Miroku recalled what Kagome had said earlier.

"_She's been through a lot lately. My best guess is that she doesn't know what to think of you_… _She might tell you someday_…"

He turned Sango to face him, lifting her chin so she could look him in the eyes. He subconsciously noted that she was blushing.

"Whatever you've been going through, you can tell me about it, when you feel ready to share it with me. Just know that I'm here for you," he said softly. Tears border lined Sango's eyes.

"Okay…thank you, Miroku," she responded quietly. A glimpse of happiness flashed through her eyes. Miroku smiled. He put his arm around her and they headed back toward the others.

* * *

Please read and review! Have the next Chapter for next Monday! (NOT the one coming up!)


	6. Chapter 5: Banryuu & Kagome's Love Life

SURPRISE! I can't believe I ACTUALLY got it out by this Monday when I said I wouldn't! It took me forever! This chapter is reaaaalllllllly long, but I don't feel like its my best...so much dialogue! But there is more Sesshy, and I've introduced Bankotsu and Jakotsu too! I LOVE those guys. Especially Jakotsu. Tee hee. Poor Inu. I'm pretty tired now. Thank God for music. And thanks to all my reviewers and readers! I LOVE YOU ALL! I wish I could give you guys cake. Cake is good. I like cake. I hope you enjoy this really long chapter of 'Anything but Paradise'!

**Disclaimer: If I have not mentioned before, I DO NOT own InuYasha or any characters related to it, these belong to the great and powerful Takahashi-sama! The story is mine, however!**

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**Chapter 5: The Banryuu and Kagome's Love Life**

The plane landed at 8:15 pm Tokyo time.

A company limo which had been sent was sitting there waiting. Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken each crawled into the vehicle, where Shippo was already seated. He had set up a laptop with a camera and satellite phone. Once everything was loaded into the limo, the driver put the car in gear.

"I assume they're waiting for our call?" Sesshomaru asked. Shippo nodded. Jaken seemed confused.

"Who?" he asked. Sesshomaru gave him a you-should-know-who look. Jaken's eyes widened. "Not _them_, Sesshomaru-sama!"

"Of course, _them_," Shippo replied. He clicked away at the keys and fiddled with the wires. He recalled the events of yesterday, of what he saw, and what he did afterwards…

_He quietly backed away, walking back towards his desk. He pulled out his cell phone. Quietly he dialed a number, and informed the receiver of what he just saw._

_"Yes?" the receiver said._

_"I've just witnessed something I really shouldn't have. It has something to do with Kikyo," Shippo explained._

_"Go on," he replied. Shippo cleared his throat, lowering his voice. He told him what he saw. Silence was on the other end for a moment._

_"I see. I'm on my way to Tokyo as we speak. When I arrive, we shall contact the Banryuu. Until then, keep observing and report your findings to me," he ordered._

_"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama," Shippo said. He closed the cell phone, and made his way to the airport._

"I'm in!" Shippo exclaimed. They heard a static hiss and a modem dial tone. A face came on the screen.

"This is the Banryuu. How can we be of service?" said the man on the screen.

"Oh! Who is it, Bankotsu? Can I see?" said another voice, sounding somewhat feminine.

"No, this is important. Go sort some papers or something," Bankotsu said to someone off screen.

"Aww, come _ooooonnnn_ Bankotsu! Please! Pretty, pretty, pretty _pleeeease!_" the feminine voice pleaded.

"No! Hey, wait! Get out---!" Bankotsu disappeared from the screen, replaced by another man who was dressed like a woman. This man was also the source of the feminine voice.

"Oh it's _you_, Sesshy-kun! Just how _have_ you been?" he asked.

Sesshomaru massaged his temple and sighed. Jakotsu seemed to have many infatuations with men.

"Don't call me 'Sesshy-kun'. I need yours and your brother's services," he replied. Jakotsu was pushed slightly to the side, Bankotsu joining them once again.

Bankotsu was a handsome man who seemed to be in his twenties. He had long dark hair always in a braid, with dark eyes which glinted with the joy for espionage. Jakotsu, his brother and partner, had the same dark hair and eyes, but always had his hair up, wore make-up and enjoyed wearing dresses. The brothers were in their own way spies, very good spies who got every dirty detail to the situation presented to them…for a price. Sesshomaru had relied on them many times before.

"What can we do for you this time? Exploit another employee, perhaps?" Bankotsu asked.

"Actually, this has to do with my half-brother, InuYasha," Sesshomaru replied. Jakotsu's face lit up with the mention of his name. He pushed Bankotsu out of the screen again.

"Inu-kun? Really? Oh I haven't seen him in _ages_, it seems! Do we get to see him again? Do we? Do we? Do we? I bet he's better looking than _ever_ right now!" Jakotsu exclaimed. This is what Sesshomaru could do without.

Bankotsu pushed Jakotsu away, Jakotsu whining about wanting to know more about InuYasha, putting himself back onto the screen.

"Anyway, you're brother?" he asked.

"Yes. Just recently, he went missing when his plane crashed," Sesshomaru explained. He heard a startled gasp coming from Jakotsu in the background. "No one has been able to find him, or his associate, Miroku who was also on the plane," Jakotsu made his way back onto the screen, Bankotsu beside him.

"You mean the really good looking head of advertisement was on the plane too?" Jakotsu asked.

"Call him what you will, either way, they are missing," Sesshomaru said. Jakotsu seemed to be pouting.

"So, I assume you want us to find them," Bankotsu responded. Sesshomaru nodded his head.

"That and I want you to look into something else for me. My brother had a girlfriend, whose name is Kikyo. Apparently, InuYasha stated in his will that she was to get his company if he were to pass on. So since he cannot be found, he is presumed dead and she now runs the company.

"Just yesterday InuYasha's secretary, whom you see sitting on my right, witnessed this woman involved with another man, which I find extremely suspicious. I want you and your brother to find whatever you can about her and the man she is with, and any aliases either might have," Sesshomaru ordered. Bankotsu stroked his chin, giving the task some thought.

"This _is _going to cost you a lot…" Bankotsu began. Jakotsu began tugging on his sleeve in complaint.

"Come on, Bankotsu-kun! I wanna see Inu-kun! Please?" he begged, acting very childish.

"I can pay whatever you wish, rest assured," Sesshomaru stated. Bankotsu thought about it for one more moment.

"Alright, we'll do it," Bankotsu answered. Jakotsu cheered in the background.

"And because I like you, I'll give you a discount," Bankotsu said, winking. He then cut off the connection.

Sesshomaru _really_ hated those two.

* * *

Kagome sat in the shade of the palm trees drawing stick figures in the sand. It had been a day since she saw Sango returning to the plane in Miroku's arms, and since she woke up in InuYasha's. No more chores had to be done. Everyone was sitting in the shade since the midday heat was beyond bearable. Nobody was really talking. Just sitting there.

Kagome was really bored.

"So, Miroku, you were saying the other day that you work for InuYasha? What exactly was it that you do again?" Kagome asked, trying to spark some conversation amongst the group.

"I'm the head of advertisement for his company. Which kind of reminds me…Inu-kun, how do you think Kikyo's doing right about now?" Miroku said, turning the centre of the conversation to InuYasha.

"Don't call me 'Inu-kun', first of all. And as for Kikyo, she's probably killing everything in her path to try find me," InuYasha replied, amused at his own thoughts.

"Who's Kikyo?" Sango asked, joining the conversation.

"InuYasha's girlfriend," Miroku answered simply. Kagome looked at Miroku, as if her ears had deceived her.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend," Kagome said, her voice hinting surprise, disappointment and anger.

"What difference does it make?" he said. "She's probably still mad at me. We had a fight before the whole…you know,"

_That would sorta explain his rude behavior from the other day_, Kagome thought. But still, if he had a girlfriend, why would he…?

"It makes a _huge_ difference!" Kagome yelled, standing up from anger. How could he be so _ignorant_ about it? "Just when I think you're at least _half_ decent!" She then stormed off, in the same direction that Sango went the other day.

"What's her problem?" InuYasha asked. Miroku let out a childish giggle.

"Well, I don't blame her, after how you two seemed so _close_ yesterday," he said with a devilish grin. InuYasha blushed furiously.

"I-it's not my fault! She fell on top of me while we were sleeping!" InuYasha stuttered. Miroku's childish grin grew even bigger. Sango also began to giggle at InuYasha's expression.

"From what I saw, you openly put your arms around her. You didn't seem too eager to let her go the next morning either," Miroku mentioned.

"So obviously Kagome would be upset that you have a girlfriend. She hasn't had the greatest experience with men," Sango added. InuYasha didn't say anything afterwards, still blushing.

As if on cue, Kagome returned. She slumped next to Sango, face looking grim, as if remembering things she didn't want to recall. All three looked somewhat surprised.

"She's right. I haven't. I might as well explain myself," Kagome said, the three of them looking more surprised: it's as if she was reading their minds. Kagome noticed their expressions.

"I heard you talking. I didn't walk _that_ far off," she said, and she began explaining her past love life.

"My first boyfriend was in high school. His name was Hojo and he was the most popular boy in our grade. We met in our sophomore year, and apparently he had a crush on me. It was only a year later he actually asked me out. I was thrilled.

"We were steady for a long time. I thought we would be together after high school too. But, on our graduating day, he pulled me aside to 'talk'. I didn't think of anything at the time, and went along with him. He told me that he believed that we should start seeing other people, since he didn't feel anything for me anymore. Unfortunately for me, I really liked him. On graduation day, too! I was torn up for a year." She cleared her throat. "Then I met Koga."

"The way we met was actually kind of like a fairytale. One night, I was walking from Sango's place when this shady character decides to rob me. The guy had a knife to my throat, threatening that he'd rape me if I screamed.

Not that it mattered. He went to go do it anyway, after he went through my purse. He pinned me up against a wall, and I began to scream. Just when I thought all hope was lost, Koga came by, and saved me. He carried me to his car, and took me to his place, where he took care of me. We really got to know each other.

"We eventually hit it off. It was a greater relationship than the one I had with Hojo; I pretty much forgot all about him. We were dating for almost three years, when he actually _proposed_ to me. I thought nothing could bring me the best of happiness. For the next six months, we prepared for the wedding. I was the happiest person in the world. But this fairytale didn't have such a happy ending.

"It was only one month until the wedding day. I was working late on afternoon, and I called to the apartment that we were living in to let Koga know that I wouldn't be home until five o'clock, and he seemed fine with it. I had no suspicions of anything whatsoever. Well, I actually finished earlier than I expected, and got home around four. I wanted to surprise him, so I snuck into the apartment, thinking he'd be watching TV or maybe getting a head start on dinner or something. But he wasn't anywhere to be seen when I first walked in. I heard voices coming from the bedroom, so I assumed he was watching TV in their or something. So I just walked in.

"What I saw…it was terrible. He was in the bed, naked, with my friend Ayame. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So I stormed out of the apartment and went to Sango's place, where I stayed the night. He tried to call me, but I refused to speak to him. I called off the wedding. I moved out of our apartment, back into my old one. I was so depressed that I couldn't get out of bed," Kagome said, sighing, recalling every ounce of hurt she had felt since then. "If nothing had happened, I would've been married…" she took a minute to think about it, "…yesterday,"

Tears rimmed around her eyes, and she put her head in her lap. Sango hugged her to comfort her, finishing the rest of the story.

"She didn't show up for work for two weeks, calling out sick. I was so worried about her, I decided that we take a vacation for a few weeks or so, so we could both get away from it all. Start fresh when we got back. So, not too long after, we found ourselves in New York City," Sango explained.

Kagome lifted up her head, wiping away the tears. "So, I'm sorry for making a big fuss earlier. I really don't care if you have a girlfriend…" she drifted off.

"Don't worry about it," was all InuYasha could say. What else could he say? He began to beat himself mentally for being such an ass.

Everyone stayed quiet for the next few minutes, reflecting on what Kagome had told them. Miroku got up and went into the plane. He came out with something in his hand.

"I have an idea, let's play a game of cards to lighten up the mood," he suggested, shuffling the deck as he sat down.

"Okay!" Kagome said merrily.

And the played all afternoon, laughing and chatting away happily, as if nothing happened.

_Twap!_

Well, almost.

* * *

Phew! **Please REVIEW!**

**Shout-outs!**

**Phoenix Archangel: **I can't believe you think that my parallels are genius! You are so kind! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm so happy you love my story so much!

**Hearii-sama: **You are sooo kind too! You really think my story sounds like a novel? I'm soooo touched! And for the plot advancement, I know its somewhat essential, or else I just bored writing the story! And I don't like slacking off on my stories. But thank you, thank you, thank you!

**Shadow36:** You're welcome! I'm glad that you enjoy my story! I will work my hardest to make it as enjoyable as possible! Thank you sooo much!

I can't say 'thank you' enough! I love you alllllll!

Well, yawn, I'm reaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyy tired, and off to bed. The next chapter will be out next Monday!

Lots of love! Ashieyu66 :)


	7. Chapter 6: Investigation and Hot Springs

I'm soooooo sorry! I know its a day late, but I was out camping all weekend and all this exam review is piling up! PLEASE FIND IT IN YOUR HEARTS TO FORGIVE ME! I promise next chapter will be out on time. I just need to figure out where I'm going with it, and then the chapter will write itself! Please forgive me! I love you all and thank you to my lovely reviewers! I encourage reviews!

**Chapter 6: Investigation and Hot Springs**

"Aren't you excited? I'm excited!"

The same words Bankotsu had been hearing the whole plane ride to Tokyo. He couldn't believe how his partner in crime could be so annoying some times! Especially when InuYasha was involved.

"I already told you yes. Now, could you shut up for a few minutes?" Bankotsu asked, rubbing his temples. Jakotsu shook his head innocently.

"I can't! I'm too excited to see Inu-kun!" he exclaimed. Bankotsu sighed.

"Haven't you forgotten that we have to _find_ him first?" Bankotsu said. Jakotsu's face dropped at the realization.

"Oh, right. Damn that stupid bitch of his! How dare she hurt my Inu-kun!" Jakotsu said, now standing, clenching his fists. Bankotsu gave him an odd look in return.

"You scare me sometimes, you know that Jakotsu?" Bankotsu asked, but Jakotsu shrugged it off.

"_Master Bankotsu and Master Jakotsu, we are about to make our decent into Tokyo. I would ask that you return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts_," beeped a voice over the intercom. The two did as they were told.

The investigation was to begin.

* * *

It had been one week.

One week since they had met each other. One week since they crashed onto this island. Kagome couldn't take it anymore.

"I can't take it anymore!" she screamed. Her cries shocked the others who were quietly resting on the beach from their light slumber. Her cries even scared a few of the birds in the jungle trees behind them.

"What are you complaining about _now_?" InuYasha whined. Kagome grabbed her hair in frustration.

"It's been one week! _One whole week_! I haven't had a bath in one week! It's absolutely disgusting!" she screamed. "I stink!"

InuYasha walked closer to her. He lifted his nose in the air. He took a few whiffs, and took half a step back.

"Hey, you _do_ stink!" he responded. InuYasha covered his mouth, eyes widened after realizing what he said…and the reaction to come to it.

Kagome's hair seemed to expand. Her face became a deep angry red, almost purple. Her eyes filled with fire. Steam was released from her ears. Her teeth were clenched. InuYasha backed up in fear, like a little puppy.

No words came from her mouth, but her expression said it all. Sango and Miroku (whom InuYasha was now hiding behind for protection) began to back up. It all came clear to them.

Kagome had been driven over the edge.

The group huddled behind a nearby bush, to avoid Kagome's new found wrath. They tried to come up with a plan to maybe calm her down just a few notches. InuYasha had suggested tranquilizers. However, Sango and Miroku ignored him, as he got them in this situation in the first place.

"How about you go and tell her about that hot spring you found?" Sango thought. Miroku gulped.

"W-w-why me?" he stuttered. Sango seemed prepared to answer this question.

"For a number of reasons. One, you're the only one who knows where it is. Two, InuYasha will die if he goes over there. Three, you're the only one out of us who is worth to sacrifice," Sango explained. She didn't seem to note the slight hurt on his face.

"Oh, sure. Thanks," he retorted. Sango sighed.

"Give it a rest, and get out there!" she said, pushing him out from their hiding place. Miroku was surprised at her strength for a moment, but then realized his current situation.

"S-sango! Wait! I--!" Miroku stammered, but he noticed that Kagome was coming closer.

"What is it?" Kagome asked sternly, her voice dark, dripping with possession. Miroku rubbed the back of his head, trying to find his voice.

"W-well, uh, you see…"

"SPIT IT OUT!" Kagome bellowed. Miroku nearly fell to the ground.

"I found a hot spring! Nearby!" Miroku poured out, covering his face for protection. To his surprise, nothing happened. He looked up, and Kagome's expression was a degree lighter than how it was 45 seconds ago.

"Hot spring? Where?" she asked, voice still sounding dark, as if he was tricking her. Miroku managed to find his balance, and a bit more backbone.

"I can show it to you. I'll show everyone, and then we can all take a bath tonight," he explained, trying to calm the enraged girl down. It seemed to be working.

He beckoned the other two to come out from the bush they were hiding behind, as he began to lead the way to the much desired hot spring. As InuYasha came out of hiding, Kagome gave him a deadening glare. He gulped, looking for protection from Sango. He would definitely be seeking her forgiveness and mercy from her later.

They followed Miroku through the dense jungle, as he tore down fronds, trying to make a path. Before long, they heard a small stream running by, and large boulders began to fill the area. Soon, they were standing in the steam of a large hot spring.

Kagome clasped her hands together in joy. Miroku stood there beaming at his discovery. Sango had the look of surprise on her face, as if she thought the man was lying. InuYasha stood in the opening and pouted.

Kagome's attitude had long since changed.

"Okay, thanks Miroku!" she said, pushing him out of the clearing, along with InuYasha. Miroku tried to struggle in protest.

"But…I said we would take a bath _together_," he said. Soon, the fire was back in Kagome's eyes, which seemed to be contagious as the same fire was found in Sango's. Both men gulped and made a run for it back to camp.

Once the coast was clear, both girls smiled happily, as they took off their tattered clothing and stepped into the hot spring. The heat felt refreshing. Kagome, for the first time in a week, felt clean. Sango sighed in happy bliss.

_Let's see how bad I stink to InuYasha when I come out of this hot spring all clean!_ Kagome thought, as a smirk occupied her face. She submerged her face under the water, running her hands through her thick hair.

_Next time I'll bring some of that soap from the airplane_, she thought, re-emerging her head from the water. She opened her eyes to see an angry Sango now standing, yelling at the bushes it seemed.

"You _pervert_!" she yelled, throwing large rocks at Miroku whom she caught spying. Kagome caught the glimpse of InuYasha in the bushes as well and screamed. She joined Sango in throwing rocks at the peeping toms.

Both girls came back, clean and angry. The boys came back pouting with large bumps on their heads.

"You got it wrong! I was trying to _stop_ him!" InuYasha pleaded to the angry women. Miroku just lay against the wall of the airplane and smiled slightly.

_What a beautiful sight…

* * *

_

Kikyo had never felt more alive or daring in her life. When she was younger, she was always the "good little girl". But now she was bad, and she liked it.

Naraku had just left the office after a quick rendezvous. They planned to have dinner in _her_ mansion. Maybe a little bit more afterwards.

She sighed and slumped back in the big leather chair. Her hair was slightly messy, and her make-up was slightly smeared. She looked in the little mirror on the desk, and began to fix it.

She began to think about what she had done and wondered why she hadn't done it sooner. Everything went so perfectly; exactly how she planned it. Life was good.

She was reapplying her lipstick, when an erupt knock pounded at the door. The door burst open and someone walked in. She looked up, and quickly put her lipstick and mirror down. Her eyes widen. The doors closed behind the familiar stranger.

"Sesshomaru-sama. I wasn't expecting you," Kikyo managed to say.

"Of course you weren't. Jaken, Rin, could you give Kikyo-san and myself some privacy?" he asked his secretary and personal assistant who were standing behind him. The girl immediately obeyed, but the toad demon seemed reluctant.

"But Sesshomaru-sama…" he began. Sesshomaru lifted his hand to silence him.

"Go," he whispered. The toad gave Kikyo one last glare as he left the room. She returned it.

She sat up in her seat, folding her hands, trying to look professional yet delicate; as if she was suffering a great loss. Sesshomaru took no notice.

"How may I help you?" she asked sweetly.

"Maybe telling me what happened to my half-brother, and how you got his company," he asked point blank. He never showed emotion; not even anger.

She seemed a little surprised, but answered the questions with ease. "His plane went missing while he was flying home after spending the week with _you_. And as for his company, he clearly stated in his will that it go to _me_ and _me_ alone. I'm sorry if you're jealous of his choice," she explained. His eyes narrowed as a chill was sent down her spine. But she was not afraid of him. That secretary of his seemed to work wonders since the last time they met.

"I, Sesshomaru, do not get jealous. And as for his return flight home…my sources have told me that his flight was truly cancelled, but yet…a plane managed to take off headed to Tokyo at the scheduled time," he mentioned, giving her an icy glare. She didn't have a response to it.

"I see. Then you are of no help to me. I will be back, however, to discuss this matter further," he said, heading for the door. He stopped in his tracks. "I'm rather amused about how much you smell of _fear_, right now,"

He left the office. Kikyo wiped her brow with her arm. He would have to be removed from the picture. She picked up the phone and dialed.

Sesshomaru got into the limousine where Jaken, Rin and Shippo waited. He slid in and closed the door, refusing to show his amusement.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Shippo asked. He nodded.

"Yes. I believe she has something to do with this, and her responses and expressions said it all just now. Rin, get Bankotsu on the phone," he ordered.

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama," she replied, doing as she was told. Jaken seemed confused, but for once didn't say anything. She handed Sesshomaru the phone.

"I take it you landed in Tokyo okay?" he asked.

"_Yes, just fine. Where would you like us to start?_" Bankotsu asked.

"I want you to bug her office, her phones, her email and her new 'inherited' mansion. I want her phone and email records for the past six months. Got it?" he said.

"_This is all too easy, Sesshomaru-sama_," Bankotsu replied, hanging up his end of the connection. He hung up the cell phone, handing it back to Rin.

Kikyo was going down.

* * *

Short, I know, but I wasn't too sure where I wanted to go with this chapter.

**Shout-outs:**

**Shadow36:** I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I try to update as fast as I can because I want to keep readers interested, and I'll be going away for six weeks soon, so I want to get as much as I can done.

**Hearii-sama:** Thank you! Like I told Shadow36, I want to keep you guys interested! And soon I won't be able to update for six whole weeks! So the more I get done now, the less I have to worry about later.

**hatori's-flower:** I don't like Kikyo either. I wanted her to be evil from the beginning. However, its fun to write her because I get to make her evil in my own sick and twisted way! Muwaha! ahem Anywho. I'm glad you agree!

Please review!


	8. Chapter 7: Moonlight Secrets

Yay! Chapter Seven! Sorry again for the lateness and shortness of the last chapter, so I made sure I got this chapter out on time, and it's pretty long too. Hope you enjoy the next chapter of 'Anything but Paradise'!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM OR ANY CHARACTER ASSOCIATED WITH INUYASHA. That all belongs to RUMIKO TAKAHASHI-SAMA. However, the plot and overall story belongs to ME!

* * *

****Chapter 7: Moonlight Secrets**

"_Are you sure you can take care of this?_"

"Yes, not to worry. He'll be gone before you know it,"

"_Okay…he'll be difficult though, won't he?_"

"There's nothing I can't do. You worry too much,"

"_I know. Are we still on for tonight?_"

"Of course. See you there,"

"_Love you!_"

And the line went dead.

Naraku hung up the phone. He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk. Taking a sip of his martini, he reflected on his conversation with Kikyo.

She had told him about Sesshomaru's visit. It must have scared her; he could hear the fear in her voice. She wanted him to take Sesshomaru out. He understood her reasons, but felt she was over-reacting. They would never get caught. At least, _he_ would never get caught. He took another sip of his martini, and then leaned over to push the intercom button on his desk.

"Kanna, get Kagura and Musou on the line," he ordered. Although he knew Kagura and Musou fled Japan, he still kept in touch with them. They were, after all, his incarnations.

"Yes, Master Naraku," Kanna replied quietly. How he loved to be called 'Master'. There was silence for a few moments and then it was interrupted by the phone ringing. He picked it up.

"_You called for us Master Naraku?_" It was Musou on the other end.

"Yes, I have a task for you," He replied.

"_Of course, Master,_"

"I want you to do a small search around the area in which you crashed the plane and see if there are any survivors. Kikyo suddenly has a gut feeling InuYasha could still be alive," Naraku explained.

"_I highly doubt it. There is no way anyone could've survived a crash like that. Anything else Master?_"

"Yes. Tell Kagura I want her to track down Sesshomaru Takahashi, and then take him out. He's proving to be more of a problem then when we first thought," Naraku replied. There was some murmuring on the other end, as Musou relayed the message to Kagura. From what he could hear in the background, she didn't sound too happy.

"_We'll be right on it, Master Naraku,_" was Musou's answer.

"Good," Naraku said, hanging up the phone. He took the last sip of his martini.

It felt good to be powerful.

* * *

Musou hung up the phone in their motel room outside of Sydney, Australia. He looked over at his sister, Kagura, whose red eyes were flaring with anger. He sighed and sprawled across the bed.

"_What_ is Naraku _thinking_?" she hissed, "Sending _me_ to take down _Sesshomaru_? Typical! Naraku is too much of a coward to take down people stronger than him, especially full-blooded demons like Sesshomaru!"

Musou tuned out Kagura's angry rant. She really seemed to hate Naraku…but then again, he did have a hold of her heart, which he would crush for punishment or simply for his own pleasure. But did she have to complain about it everyday?

But he had to admit to himself, going after Sesshomaru was dangerous. No doubt he already had people out finding out what happened to his half-brother. Although Kagura was strong, she certainly was no match for Sesshomaru. Not even Naraku would have a chance against him.

He sighed, and decided to just wait and see how everything would fold out.

* * *

"_Are you sure you can take care of this?_"

"_Yes, not to worry. He'll be gone before you know it_,"

"_Okay…he'll be difficult though, won't he?_"

"_There's nothing I can't do. You worry too much_,"

"_I know. Are we still on for tonight?_"

"_Of course. See you there_,"

"_Love you!_"

Bankotsu re-read Kikyo's latest phone conversation. Certainly suspicious enough, seeming she was conspiring to kill Sesshomaru. All her phone records and emails were constant; suspicious planning and the same contact.

He had gone through her phone records and transcripts for the past six months, and Jakotsu took over reading her emails. She seemed to keep in touch with one person in that time: a man named Naraku.

He picked up the phone and dialed Sesshomaru's contact number.

"_What have you come across so far?_"

"Quite a bit, actually. Turns out Kikyo's been planning to get rid of InuYasha for almost six months. Pretty accurate plans, too. Ashamed that they've just been exposed…"

"_Get on with it. Is she working with anyone?_"

"Yeah, a guy named Naraku. Jakotsu and I did a search on him, and there's _nothing_. Zip. Zero. It's like this Naraku guy doesn't exist. But Jakotsu is going to Kikyo's new mansion to set up video recording devices so we can get a look at this guy's face," Bankotsu explained.

"_Anything else?_"

"Yeah, now they're planning to kill you," he responded, his tone dripping with amusement.

"_That's no surprise. Call me when you get more information,_" and with that, Sesshomaru hung up his end of the line. Bankotsu did the same.

"Geeze, not even a 'good job' or 'keep up the good work'," Bankotsu said to no one in particular. He sighed. "I guess that's all we can expect from Sesshomaru, but hey, we're getting paid nicely aren't we?"

He smiled, and went back to work.

* * *

_Damn…I forgot that it was tonight…_

InuYasha punched the nearest palm tree, causing some coconuts to fall down. Being unlucky today, one fell and hit InuYasha right on the head.

"Shit!" he yelled, massaging his head, then attacking the coconut which so dared as hitting him on the head. After smashing it to pieces, he kicked whatever remained of it in the sand. He plumped to the ground in frustration, still holding his head. The only part that really throbbed slightly was the cut that Kagome had cleaned only a week ago.

That night seemed ages ago. That was the same night Kagome learned about him being a hanyou…and not caring at all. She treated him like she would anyone else. He and Kagome didn't fight nearly as often anymore, so they must be friends now, he thought. His ears twitched as he heard someone walking towards him. His nose told him it was Kagome. She sat down beside him.

"Hey InuYasha, are you okay? I saw what you did to that poor coconut…" she said, obvious she was trying to hold in her laughter.

"I'm fine," he said sharply, turning his head away from her. He didn't want her to know.

"No need to be cranky. Geeze, did that coconut knock some sense out of you or something?" she asked, her tone mixing with anger, amusement and even a twinge of hurt. But InuYasha, being filled with unnecessary pride, did not take notice to any other emotion but 'amusement'.

"If you just came here to laugh at me then GO AWAY," he yelled.

"You can be such an asshole!" she yelled back!

"Jerk!"

"Dumbass!"

"Bitch!"

"Fine! You want me to leave you alone, then I WILL!" she shouted. She stormed off back towards the airplane.

So much for 'friends'.

* * *

The night neared, and Kagome was still not talking to InuYasha. A part of him wanted to apologize, but his pride (being the strongest part of his body) would not allow it. She was making fun of him. But then again, he _did_ attack a coconut. He stroked the bandages which covered his cut. He thought of that night again…

_Damn! Why do I keep thinking of her? Could it have something to do with…?_

His thoughts were cut off by the sound (and scent of Kagome) approaching again. She down next to him, but he turned away.

"Suppose you're here to laugh at me again?" he asked stubbornly.

"No," she responded quietly, "I came to apologize," He stiffened in shock. She was _apologizing_ to _him_?

"I shouldn't have really made fun of you like that. So I'm sorry. But you also seemed pretty upset about something. Is something bothering you today?" she asked; his back was still turned to her.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," he answered quietly, "and by the way, I'm sorry too," There goes a chunk of his pride. He heard Kagome taking in a quick breath out of realization that _he_ just apologized to _her_. She smiled.

"Thanks, InuYasha," she said. She got up onto her knees. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Goodnight, InuYasha," she said, giving him a small hug from behind. She then stood up and left.

He felt his cheeks turning redder by the second. Did she do what he thought she just did? Although the embrace was short, he still felt a warm feeling inside of him, like nothing he ever felt before.

Sure, he had been held by Kikyo many times, but she didn't seem to give off the same energy, the same warmth that Kagome did. Her smile brought more joy than Kikyo's ever did.

What was this feeling?

The sun began to set. He could feel himself changing. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

_It's going to be another damned long night…

* * *

_

Kagome opened her eyes. She just had the strangest dream, that someone who looked like her was being embraced by InuYasha, yet held a dagger behind her back…

She sat up, noticing it was still dark out. The dream had unnerved her slightly, so she peeked around the curtain dividing the female/male sleeping quarters to make sure everything was alright. Well it would be, only…

…InuYasha wasn't there.

She decided to get up and investigate. The only sounds she could hear were the ocean's waves, the rustling of the trees in the wind and the small crackling of the fire…but otherwise…silence.

She looked around the fire, and no one was there. She looked around the plane, but no one was there either. She wondered if maybe he was still in the same spot where she hugged him earlier…

Thinking about it made her blush. She had no idea where the impulse came from, but it felt so right to do so. Although InuYasha seemed like a jerk most of the time, he could actually be pretty sweet.

She arrived to her destination, seeing the silhouette of InuYasha's figure lying on the ground. She sighed in relief. He seemed to be sleeping, so Kagome decided to wake him up so he wouldn't catch a cold outside. She shook him lightly.

"InuYasha…" she whispered. He jolted straight up, knocking Kagome over. When she looked up she noticed he was in a defensive stance…but his hair…and eye colour…were…different?

"What do you think you're doing here!" he hissed through his teeth. Kagome couldn't find the words.

He _had _changed. His once silver hair was now dark ebony, and his eyes were now a brownish-violet colour.

"InuYasha…you're hair…it's…it's…?" was all she managed to say. He slumped back down to the ground in defeat.

"No use hiding it. You've already seen me…might as well explain," he said. He sighed angrily.

"You know how I'm a half-demon right? Well, my other half is human. While our demon half is pretty strong, our human half is, well, human. So there are certain times of were our human blood takes over and were left to be a weak human for a while. My time is during the night of the new moon. It's only temporary. I'll be back to a hanyou by tomorrow morning," InuYasha explained. Kagome sat and took it all in.

"So _that's_ why you were so touchy today! If it was upsetting you so much, you could have _told_ me you know!" Kagome said.

"Feh," was his response. "I don't make it publicly known that I have a weakness. Only two other people know, and that's my half brother Sesshomaru, and Miroku," he added. He glanced at her. She seemed upset. Wait…was she crying? He turned to face her completely. Not exactly crying…yet.

"I know we don't get along in the greatest way, but I thought we were still _sort of_ friends. Don't you trust me even in the slightest?" she asked. He noticed the tears border lining the rims of her eyes.

"Aw, come on! Don't cry! I'm just not used to people knowing about my secret…please don't take it so personally…" he tried to say. Why did women have to be so complicated?

She sniffed, looking directly into his eyes. She looked sad, but her eyes glinted with understanding.

"Okay…" she said quietly. "How about we go sit by the fire. You're going to catch a cold if you stay out here too long," she asked. Reluctantly, he agreed.

Once they say down by the fire, she got a better look at the now human InuYasha. She noticed his eyes were more violet than brown, but he still looked as handsome as he did when he was a half-demon.

_Stop thinking things like that, Kagome! _She thought to herself. She glanced over and noticed his bandaged cut.

"I think I should look at your cut and see if it needs some new dressings," she said, leaning closer, beginning to undo the bandage on his head.

InuYasha blushed at the sudden closeness between the two. He inhaled, catching Kagome's scent. She smelled really nice…

He jumped slightly when she gently pushed his hair away from the cut to get a better look at it. Kikyo was never so gentle like Kagome was…let alone this caring. He felt slightly disappointed when she removed her hands and moved back. He noticed she was smiling…what a beautiful smile she had…

"It looks all better now!" she said happily. He gave a slight smile in return.

"It's all thanks to you, Kagome," he replied. She shrugged.

"No problem," she answered back.

He smiled inwardly. What was this feeling inside of him? There was something about Kagome that made him at peace…

He felt his eyes dropping slightly. He was very tired. He yawned. He forced his eyes open and noticed that Kagome was leaning against one of the airplane chairs, staring at the fire. She looked beautiful like this. Sleep was overcoming him fast.

"Kagome?" he said quietly. She looked over to him.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"May I please lie on your lap?" he found himself saying. Must be the drowsiness. Kagome blushed.

"S-sure," she answered.

Kagome felt really warm. He closed his eyes. She started stroking his head softly as sleep started taking over her too. No one had been so gentle with him before. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent.

"You know Kagome? You smell really nice…" he said, finally falling asleep.

Kagome blushed harder, but continued stroking his head softly. She found herself smiling at the sleeping hanyou, and then she began to drift to sleep herself.

_InuYasha...I think I just might be falling for you…_

With that final thought, she fell asleep.

Both dreamt of each other that night.

* * *

There it is! Please REVIEW!

**Shout-outs**

**animearlinefreak: **Thanks for liking my story!


	9. Chapter 8: The Almost Rescue

Yay! It's slightly on time! Alright, guys, you know how much I love you. But...this will be last time I will be updating for **SIX WHOLE WEEKS. **Why? Because on Saturday I'm leaving for cadet band camp Kingston, Ontario! For six weeks! So I won't be able to have access to the world wide web and post here. But that doesn't mean I'm going to get lazy-I'm going to print out what I have so far and write future chapters while I'm there. So when I come back, expect a few more chapters! I'll be back on August 12th, so please wait for me. Don't give up! I AM returning! Please **review** this chapter, since I greatly appreciate them! I love you all, I'll miss you all, please enjoy this next chapter!

**Shout-outs!**

**Shadow36-** It was a fun kawaii scene to write! That's what I love about fanfiction-you can put the characters in any situation you want!

**Phoenix Archangel-** Yeah, I like using some of the stuff from the episodes. But I also try to add my own twists to it, so thanks for liking the story so much! (And Kikyo will get whats coming to her, just be patient! That will be so much fun to write! Muwaha!)

**oMarauder Moonyo-** Thanks for liking my story! Episode 13 is my MOSTFAVOURITE episode EVER! Human InuYasha makes me drooooooool!

**animearlinefreak-** Thanks :)!

**Mistuko-** J.F.K stands for 'John F. Kennedy' (the F is his middle name, I don't know what it means...), after the US President, the one that was assainated. Please read the rest and I hope you enjoy!

**Ichiru-GoLuckyHanyou-** Thank you and I shall!

**Hearii-sama-** Thank you soooo much! That's a very nice thing to say! Well, soon I'm off to camp, and won't be able to post much (like I mentioned above). So I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA OR ANYTHING RELATED TO HIM, AS IT ALL BELONGS TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI. THE STORY AND PLOT HOWEVER, ARE MINE! **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 8: The Almost Rescue**

_It was dark. Sango Watanabe yawned as she walked up the six flights of stairs to the apartment that her father, brother and she shared. She had just come off working overtime in the ER. Tokyo could be murder to cure sometimes._

_She wondered if the elevator would ever be fixed as she trudged through the third flight. But hey, if she made it on her feet for almost 20 hours, she could manage another 10 minutes. She had her keys out by the fourth flight. She found herself pausing to take a large yawn._

_"C'mon, the quicker you get up the stairs, the quicker you can sleep!" Sango told herself. She needed at least three hours of sleep if she was going to make it to work again tomorrow. Her father always said she worked too hard, but at least it brought home money to keep up with the monthly rent and the daily meals on the table._

_After her mother died when she was younger, they had to sell their middle class Tokyo suburb home and move into this humble apartment building. Her and her brother shared a room, but they were very close and never had any problems. Sometimes she would come home and find their father on the couch, mourning their mother still._

_Sango finally reached her designated floor, and began walking down the hall towards her apartment, 117B. She began to make a mental list of things she would do before she went to bed, like she did every night: "Wash the dishes, make myself something to eat, wash those dishes, feed Kilala, take a shower…"_

_When she arrived at her door, she noticed something very peculiar. The doorknob was broken. She managed to get the door open…the images she was about to see would scar her for life._

_The apartment was a complete and udder disaster. The tables and chairs were all turned to their sides, the lamps were broken, glass was everywhere. She turned on the lights and saw…blood…on the floor. Underneath the upturned couch was her father, with a gun shot to his head._

_"Father, no!" she screamed. Everything was spinning. She needed to find her younger brother. She ran into her bedroom, to find him under siege of the assailant. He had a gun pointed to his head._

_"Let him go!" she demanded. The assailant just chuckled._

_"If only your father managed to pay me my money back, you all wouldn't be here," the assailant said. His voice was dark and evil, eyes coated with crimson. She didn't understand what he was saying. She just wanted to get her brother away from him._

_"You know, it wasn't me that shot your father. Your little brother pulled the trigger, didn't you?" he said, jamming the barrel into his head. He looked tearfully up at his sister. His eyes were filled with fear._

_"S-sango, please forgive me!" was all he could manage to stutter before breaking down into tears. Tears lined along Sango's eyes._

_"No! This is all a mistake! You bastard! Let him go!" she said, trying to get him to take the gun away from her brother. The assailant smiled._

_"I want you to remember, Sango. Remember what happened. Remember the power I have. Remember who I am. Don't you dare forget!" were his last words, just before he pulled the trigger._

_Suddenly, everything was moving slowly. She found herself getting farther and farther away from her brother's body and the assailant, who was laughing. Her vision was stained with blood. Tears were strolling down her face._

_"Sango…? Sango…"_

_Somebody was calling for her. The voice seemed familiar, but far away. She felt a wretched pain in her heart, as her brother disappeared from her line of vision. She was now rapidly being pushed backwards, blood staining her vision heavily now._

_"Sango…"_

_The last thing she could muster to scream was the name of her brother._

_"KOHAKU!"

* * *

_

"Sango, wake up!"

Sango felt herself jolt up out of shock that someone was shaking her. She was sweating and tears stained her face.

She looked around. Where was she? She saw a man with short black hair in a small pony tail, and violet eyes. He looked concerned. Who was he? Had he woken her up? She couldn't remember. Sango threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. Fear consumed her shaking body as she recalled the events of her past.

_I want you to remember, Sango. Remember what happened. Remember the power I have. Remember who I am. Don't you dare forget!_

The man put his arms around her in return and held her tight. He sensed her fear.

_Don't you dare forget!_

Miroku looked down at Sango who was shaking profusely. She was tossing and turning in her sleep, moaning things like "No!" or "Let him go!". To him, it seemed she was having nightmares. He believed it had something to do with the terrifying past that Kagome had shared with them not too long ago. When she woke up, he had never seen anyone who was so afraid.

"It's okay now, Sango. I'm right here," he said comfortingly. She sniffed and pulled away reluctantly. She wiped away the tears from her eyes. Her cheeks were beet red.

"I'm s-so sorry, Miroku. I didn't mean to put you in a position like that…just had a silly little nightmare," she explained.

_That was more that just a nightmare_, Miroku thought, as he gave her a light smile.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, come see what I happened to stumble across," he said, standing up. He offered his hand. She looked at it, blushed some more, and took it. He helped her up. When she stood up, her eyes met his.

_He has beautiful eyes…_she thought.

_She has beautiful eyes…_he thought.

When the moment caught too uncomfortable for the both of them, they looked away. When Sango looked back, Miroku had his index finger up against his mouth, to tell her to be quiet. Still holding her hand, he led her outside of the airplane.

Outside, the sun was hanging low in the sky and shining brightly. The tide was rolling in as it crashed against the shore; another ocean breeze swept across them.

Miroku led them to the fire pit. Once there, she saw Kagome was leaning on one of the airplane chairs and InuYasha…sleeping on her lap?

She covered her mouth with her available hand to hold in her giggles. She rested her head on Miroku's shoulder for a moment and laughed quietly into his shoulder. He found himself starting to laugh quietly.

"So much for hating each other's guts, eh?" she whispered in his ear. He snorted in laughter to signify his agreement.

"Think we should give them some more 'alone' time?" he whispered back. She smiled and nodded.

"But let's keep close by so we can see their reaction when they wake up and find each other like this," she answered, trying her best to hold in her laughter.

He smiled back at her and looked for a place where they could just sit together and laugh their faces off but still have InuYasha and Kagome in their line of vision. Finding an ideal spot up the beach, he put his index finger up to his mouth again. He ducked slightly, Sango doing the same, and quickly sneaked their way to their destination.

Once they arrived, both burst out in laughter.

They held hands the whole time.

* * *

Kagome heard the ocean crashing against the shore. She felt the warm breeze flowing through her hair. She sat up and yawned. Her eyes squinted in the sunlight. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around. No one was there. She could've sworn she heard whispering and laughter not too long ago…

She looked down and blushed furiously. InuYasha had fallen asleep on her lap last night! Before she stood up in shock, she remembered everything that happened. InuYasha became human for the night and had asked if he could lie on her lap, which she agreed to. Before he fell asleep, didn't he say something about her smelling nicely or something? Kagome was beet red by now.

InuYasha had apparently transformed back into his hanyou form, as his white dog ears were now protruding from his head. Kagome gazed at his face. She felt his warm breath on her legs. He looked so _peaceful_.

His ears moved slightly in the wind. Kagome had to admit, they _were_ cute. She found her hands inching nearer to them to touch them. She lightly stroked them, and had to hold in her girly squealing. They were so soft! Suddenly, they twitched.

Immediately, Kagome removed her hands from the triangular bundles of cuteness on his head. His eyes squeezed tighter as he made a little moaning sound. His body tightened, and then he relaxed again. It was as if he _liked_ it.

_Just like a puppy…_Kagome thought. She had now found his weakness! Her mind reeled with numerous thoughts of what she could do. Her hands slowly made their way back to his ears. This time, she scratched them lightly. She noticed a child-like smile on his face as his body curled closer together. His eyes were closed tightly with enjoyment. It was the cutest thing Kagome had ever witnessed.

"Feels…good…" he said quietly. Kagome smiled, and tried not to laugh. When he wasn't angry, InuYasha could be extremely cute. He yawned and opened his eyes slowly. His violet eyes now golden once again, were lined with simple pleasure.

"Morning," she said. He opened his eyes fully. He sat up, blushing. He looked back at Kagome, who was laughing quietly.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked, now frowning.

"Oh, nothing. Just that you're so adorable!" she replied, smiling genuinely. He blushed more.

"Shut up," was all he could say. Kagome continued to laugh.

And not too far away, Miroku and Sango (still holding hands!) were rolling on the ground in laughter after witnessing the pair waking up.

* * *

The speed boat jumped in the ocean surf. The wind blew at its owners furiously as they whipped across the ocean. Kagura tried to avoid the surf getting her wet while Musou drove.

They were on the mission that Naraku sent them off on. It was so trivial, since nobody could've survived that crash.

_Stupid Naraku…you're so paranoid, but so frickin' lazy! You could never do your own dirty work. Okay, so you did ONE time, with that doctor girl's father…_

Kagura continued to think to herself angrily as they drove on. Her and Musou should've never gotten involved with Naraku. But to Musou, it was all about the money. Yeah, it seemed like a good deal at first, but now, Kagura was having second thoughts.

Naraku was certainly a man conceived of pure evil. Sure, Kagura and Musou didn't have reputations of being angels, but Naraku…he enjoyed toying with people's emotions. He loved the art of manipulation to get what he wanted.

She sighed. The boat began to slow down. Musou pulled out the GPS.

"Well, this is where we approximately 'crashed' the plane," Musou explained. Kagura stood up and took a look around. Nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. Musou pulled out the binoculars to get a better look.

The ocean tide rocked the boat up and down. Kagura started to feel slightly sea sick.

"Hey, look. There's an island over there," Musou said. He handed the binoculars to Kagura. She stumbled to stand in the heavy movement of the boat. She placed her red eyes through them. True, there _was_ an island. She increased the zoom. Was that…a _plane_ on the beach?

"Musou, look at this. Isn't that _our_ plane on _that_ beach?" Kagura asked, handing the binoculars back to Musou. He looked through them and put them down again.

"It is, and I think I see people on that beach too," he explained.

"Really? Do you think they might've survived?" Kagura asked. Musou looked into the binoculars again.

"I think they just might've. The most probable excuse is that the plane crashed onto the ground instead of in the water. The bomb must've malfunctioned if only the end is destroyed…" he trailed off, zooming in farther. "Well, look at this,"

Kagura took the binoculars from her brother. She looked through to see four people on the beach, waving frantically in their direction. After straining to see their faces, it Kagura to who it was.

_The same people on the plane_.

"That's cute that they think we're gonna rescue them," Musou said chuckling, turning the engine back on. He began to drive away from the island.

_They survived…I can't believe it…they survived…_was all Kagura could think of. She put the binoculars down and sat down behind her brother at the wheel. She looked back at the island, no longer noticeable to the human eye…but Kagura wasn't exactly human. She still saw the silhouette of palm trees, now fading in the distance.

* * *

InuYasha sniffed the air. Was that gasoline he smelt? It was faint, but it was there. His ears tweaked. He could've sworn he heard a boat motor, coming to their direction, then stopping. He looked out into the horizon. The sun was now blazing in its peak.

That was when he caught the glimpse of something. Something was reflecting the sun out in the distance. He strained his eyes to see what it really was, but it was too far away. But he was certain that it was a boat.

A boat? That meant that they would be rescued!

"Hey, guys! Look out there! There's a boat!" InuYasha called frantically to his friends. They all ran towards him, looking to where InuYasha was pointing. They immediately noticed the reflecting object.

"We've gotta get their attention somehow!" Kagome said. She began jumping up and down, flailing her arms all over the place.

"Hey! Over here! Please help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Soon enough, everyone began to do the same. Surly, someone on that boat would notice.

Suddenly, it began to move…in the opposite direction!

Everyone was screaming "no!" or "Wait come back!" while still flailing their arms around. Soon, the boat was gone. Kagome slumped onto her knees.

"We were so close…" she said quietly. InuYasha put one hand on his hip and the other on his forehead. Sango looked out into the distance longingly. Miroku did the same.

Silence was heavy amongst the group. Kagome was the first to speak up.

"Oh well…but at least that tells us that people come around here! So there just might be a next time! And when that time comes, we'll be ready," she explained, now standing.

_When did she become happy-go-lucky all the sudden?_ InuYasha thought, gazing at the now smiling Kagome.

"You know what? I have an idea. Let's go swimming in the ocean today. It's really hot, and I've never done it before!" Kagome exclaimed happily.

"That's a wonderful idea, Kagome," Miroku said.

"Yeah! I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner!" Sango added in.

The three of them went towards the plane to retrieve their swimsuits that they recovered with their luggage they found in the lower compartment of the plane. Kagome stopped and turned to face InuYasha.

"Are you gonna join us?" she asked. He took a few seconds to take in how lovely she looked before he snapped out of it.

"Whatever," he said. He didn't bother to go get changed. He just took off his top. Kagome gaped at his well toned body. She blushed and went to get changed.

Miroku came out in just a pair of swim shorts and girls both came out in a one piece. Kagome noticed Sango gaping at Miroku's well-toned body just like she had (and still was) with InuYasha. They all ran into the water.

InuYasha first splashed Kagome, who splashed him and then Sango, who was splashing Miroku. A huge wave crashed onto InuYasha and Kagome burst out in laughter. Soon, he was chasing her up the beach. Unfortunately, he caught her, and threw her into a wave. After, she jumped onto his back, and he piggy-backed her for a while. InuYasha didn't notice, but she blushed the entire time, as she was still suffering from oh-my-god-he's-so-good-looking-I-can't-believe-I'm-this-close syndrome. Miroku and Sango were still trying to splash each other. Soon they were really close…

_Twap!_

It was just another day in paradise.

* * *

I'll see you guys in six weeks! Please review this chapter! I'll miss you! 


	10. Chapter 9: Second Thoughts

I'M BACK! Sorry it took me FOREVER to update, but I couldn't really work on the story at camp, as there was NEVER, and I mean NEVER time to work on it, and the printer decided to run out of ink before I left, so I couldn't print out what I already had, and writing it was too slow, so I had to basically attempt to pick up from where I left off. But I'm back and will be updating as often as I can! I would never leave you guys! So without any more delay, here's the next chapter of Anything but Paradise!

**I still don't own InuYasha or any other of the characters in the story. Those are Rumiko Takahashi's. The story itself, however, is still mine!**

**Chapter 9: Second Thoughts**

Jakotsu was staring into the monitors that were set up around the hotel room, displaying images from Kikyo's mansion. To Jakotsu, it was like watching some really weird (and rather revealing) reality TV show. But he loved every minute of it; it exposed the bitch that Kikyo really was.

He heard Bankotsu coming in from behind. He threw a bag or something onto the floor. He turned around and saw him disguised as a repair man, wearing a blue jean jumper with some random electronics repair company logo on the breast pocket.

"Where'd you just come from?" Jakotsu asked.

"I was just adding some audio bugs at the house so you can hear what's going on too," Bankotsu answered. "How are things looking?"

Jakotsu smiled slightly. "Very, very guilty. She's really hardcore with this guy!"

Bankotsu put his hands up to stop Jakotsu from talking. He didn't need to know those kinds of details. "Did you get a picture of his face?"

"Yeah, it's a little bit fuzzy, but I can easily fix that up," Jakotsu replied, turning to the laptop. He typed some things into the keyboard, and a picture showed up on the screen. It was fuzzy, and hard to make out, but after Jakotsu typed some more commands, it became very clear.

"You are a genius, Jakotsu," Bankotsu praised, as Jakotsu printed out the picture. The picture showed a rather pale-looking man with long dark hair, and crimson eyes. His expression was rather sadistic looking.

"So this is Naraku," Bankotsu said, "I believe Sesshomaru-sama would like to meet you…"

Kikyo paced back and forth in the master bedroom. Her long black hair flowed behind her, just reaching the lower part of her waist. She wore a long white night gown, made of the finest silk. InuYasha had bought it for her on a trip to Egypt. She was waiting for Naraku to come upstairs for the other half of their 'date'.

But she wasn't really thinking about that. After her encounter with Sesshomaru, Kikyo began to feel her first feelings of guilt. Maybe she shouldn't have killed him off. Maybe she shouldn't have taken over his company. Maybe…

She shook her head. What was she talking about? She was _happy_. She had all the money she could dream of. She had a rather desirable and powerful man by her side, a man who would never stop spoiling her and did everything to make _her_ happy. This was everything she ever wanted and then some.

Besides, InuYasha wasn't the greatest boyfriend. He was always away. Sure, he offered to take her with him, but she didn't want to go to the meetings. He always said she didn't have to, that he would spend time with her afterwards. But she wanted him to be with her during the day so that he could spoil her, since he wouldn't just give her his credit card while he was at a meeting or conference or whatever, so then she could go herself. Besides, she could care less about business and whatnot.

So she was left alone with whatever he left her back in Tokyo. Of course, he brought her back presents, but there were still those _evenings_ that he missed out on. Sometimes she would go for nearly a month without any action. For Kikyo, that seemed like eternity.

Not to mention the recent talk about "settling down". Did he really think that she, Kikyo, with her figure was _ever_ planning to have kids? Where on earth did he get such crazy ideas? Sure, being married is one thing, but being a _mother_! She couldn't take it anymore.

She began remembering the night before he was supposed to come home, the argument they had over the phone. That just added to her oncoming guilt.

_It was 9 in the morning in Tokyo, about 7 at night in New York when the phone rang. Kikyo was still sleeping, and the ringing woke her. She lazily rolled over to pick it up, not happy that somebody was calling this early in the morning._

_"Hello?" she mumbled._

_"Hey, it's me," InuYasha's voice said on the other end of the line._

_"Oh, hi," she replied, still half sleeping._

_"Did I wake you? Sorry, it's about 8 here," he said. She yawned._

_"It's okay," Kikyo said. Yeah, right._

_"Just calling to let you know I'm coming home tomorrow," he said._

_"Okay…"_

_"I bought you something nice," This woke her up a bit._

_"Ohh, what is it?"_

_"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise,"_

_"Screw surprises! Quit trying to be cute, InuYasha. Just tell me what it is,"_

_"Fine…I bought you a ring,"_

_"What kind of ring?"_

_"Diamond, about 6 karats, from Tiffany's. I was hoping that it could maybe be…ah never mind,"_

_"Could be a what?"_

_He sighed. "I was hoping it could maybe be an engagement ring…"_

_"Engagement ring? As in marriage?"_

_"Someday…yeah…"_

_"InuYasha, I thought we talked about this!"_

_"Not really, you changed the subject. But I think I'm ready to settle down and start a family. I want to start a family with you, Kikyo…I…I love you,"_

_"Well what if I'm not ready? What about what I want? You don't have to give birth, InuYasha! If I have kids, I'll become ugly and what will you do? Go for the 17 year old babysitter and forget about me!"_

_"Kikyo, I would never do that! Besides, I find you beautiful no matter what!"_

_"That's what you say now, but when I gain those extra pounds you'll be thinking differently! What makes you think I WANT to have kids anyway? Have you lost your mind?"_

_"Look, I'm sorry. Just forget I ever said anything, okay? I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"_

_"Fine, whatever,"_

_"Bye,"_

_"Bye," And she hung up the phone. "I can't believe him," She rolled back over, to where Naraku was lying. "Talking about kids again?" he asked._

_"Yeah, but soon we won't have to worry about him," she said, cuddling closer to him._

Kikyo shook her head to try not think about it. She regained her composure as there was a light knock on the door.

"Come in," she said. Naraku came in a long dark purple robe carrying tall glasses with a bottle of champagne. She smiled, placing them on the table next to the bed. She poured him and herself a glass. He raised his glass.

"To us, for all the money and power we now possess," he toasted. She raised her glass and lightly tapped it against his, taking a small sip. What a wonderful life they led. She put her glass down. He did the same. She got closer to him and kissed him.

They spent the rest of the night together.

InuYasha cut another tree down. He wiped his brow. His whole body was somewhat damp with perspiration, but he didn't mind. It was midday, when the heat was the worse. He thanked himself he was a hanyou, since he could handle the heat. Miroku, however, didn't look too well.

The day's chores were split between everyone; both InuYasha and Miroku would get some more fire wood, and the girls would wash every one's clothes. InuYasha cut the trees down and cut them into separate pieces and Miroku would bring the pieces back to the fire pit. But InuYasha noticed that he was trying to carry a little bit more than he should…but then again, the path that they were using crossed the water hole, where the girls were washing the clothes.

_Figures…_InuYasha thought, _always trying to impress women_.

Miroku came back to get another load. He didn't have his shirt on either, but he looked drenched in perspiration compared to InuYasha. InuYasha also noticed he was panting rather heavily. He began to pick up the new pieces.

"Hey, Miroku, are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Sure…_pant_…I'm…fine…don't worry 'bout me…Inu-kun," he said, struggling to stand with the new weight in his arms. He was trying to carry _15_ large pieces of wood! He made his way back towards the fire pit. InuYasha shrugged, but was still concerned. He continued cutting more.

Although the girls were working in the shade, they also felt the midday heat. They were washing clothes the old fashioned way: with a grate and a lot of muscle. Sango seemed to be doing okay, but then again, she normally dealt with heavy patients all day. Kagome, although not fatigued, began to 'feel the burn' as some would say in her muscles from the constant up and down motions.

They could hear the cutting that InuYasha was doing up the path. They also saw Miroku carrying the logs made back to the fire pit. Well, at least Sango did. Kagome noticed her constantly looking up to see if was coming. And when he did, she would just stare, but look away if she was caught. Kagome couldn't blame her, he _was_ good looking. But she couldn't understand why Sango kept denying having feelings for him. It was pretty obvious, so why hide it? He seemed to like her too, so why not go for it?

Kagome glanced at Sango to see her staring again. She looked along her line of vision and saw Miroku, carrying a rather heavy looking load. He noticed the girls looking at him and gave them a nod of acknowledgement and a smile that would melt any girl's heart.

It certainly got to Sango, as she stopped washing and was blushing fiercely. She had a small smile, and was now looking down at her lap. Suddenly, they both heard a thumping sound. At first, Kagome thought it was Sango's heart, but then she looked over and saw Miroku lying on the ground, his load all over the place.

"Miroku!" Sango cried. She got up and began treading across the pool of water to get to him. Kagome got up too, but decided to go around.

Sango ran up next to Miroku and turned him so he was face up. His entire body was drenched in sweat and he was burning up fast.

"Miroku! Miroku, are you okay? Say something to me!" Sango cried, trying to bring him back to a level of consciousness. When Kagome came around, she stopped and analyzed the situation.

"I'll go InuYasha!" she said, running in the direction InuYasha was in.

Kagome soon saw InuYasha in the distance about to cut down another tree,

"InuYasha! InuYasha!" Kagome called. InuYasha stopped in half motion and turned around to see a very worried Kagome. She was running so fast she almost ran into him. He held her arms.

"What's wrong?" he asked, very concerned.

"It's Miroku! He's collapsed!" she explained. He took action right away, holding her hand and running back down the path, where he found Sango trying to shake him awake, tears starting to run down her cheeks.

"He won't wake up! He won't wake up!" she stammered. Kagome had never seen Sango in such a panic before. InuYasha knelt on the other side of his friend.

"He's probably dehydrated and now has sun stroke or something. I'll take him back to the plane to get him into some shade. Sango, you can come with me if you want. Kagome, could you get some cool water for him to drink and wet some cloths too?" InuYasha instructed. Kagome nodded, as he gently lifted the monk onto his back and made his way back to the plane, Sango running alongside him.

When they got back to the plane, InuYasha closed all the window covers after he put Miroku down. Sango was beside him, attempting to fan him off with her hands. She seemed to have regained some of her composure.

Quickly, Kagome came back with a bucket of water and some damp cloths. She immediately placed one on Miroku's forehead. She gave another one to Sango.

"I need you to lightly dab that over his upper body and face," Kagome told her. She felt a little weird instructing an _ER doctor_ on what to do in a medical situation, but it couldn't be helped. Sango sort of blushed at Kagome's instructions, but did what she was told. Soon Miroku was breathing noticeably, taking deep breaths, but he still hadn't woken up yet.

Sango seemed to be back under control now. Kagome got up and began to leave. She motioned to InuYasha that he should do the same. It was so that the plane wouldn't get to warm with all those bodies in there, but to leave Sango and Miroku alone.

Sango didn't really notice the other two leaving the plane. She was looking intently at Miroku, waiting for him to wake up. She knew his condition wasn't life threatening, but she was still worried. She had already lost two of the most important men in her life…not that she felt _that_ way about Miroku. He was just…a friend? Yes, a friend…whom she felt she was close too…friends are allowed to be close…it's not like he liked her or anything…right?

Sango shook her head. She took the cloth that was on his forehead off to replace it with another one. She wringed the cloth of extra moisture and gently placed it on his forehead. His body temperature had cooled down considerably since earlier. She looked back up at his face. He looked kind of peaceful for a moment. She picked up his hand, and held it in hers.

"You better wake up, okay?" she whispered. She closed her eyes and looked away to fight the oncoming tears. She felt his hand tighten around hers.

"Sango…?" she heard him whisper. Her eyes shot open. She quickly turned her head towards Miroku. His eyes were open, but he looked really tired. He had a small smile on his face.

"Miroku! Thank the gods you're awake! I was so worried!" she said. "Are you feeling better?" Miroku saw that she was very concerned.

"I am, now that you're here," he replied quietly. She blushed and slowly let go of his hand. She looked away. "Why do you look sad, Sango?"

"I-it's nothing. I was just really worried," she replied. He let out a little laugh.

"That's okay. I'm happy that you cared about me so much," he said, placing his hand on her thigh, very slowly inching its way up. Sango took notice to it immediately.

"Don't be too happy," she replied, pinching his hand and lifting it off her thigh.

"Eh-heh…" Miroku stammered.

_I don't think I've ever been happier…_Sango thought, smiling inwardly. Sure. Just friends.

Outside, InuYasha and Kagome were sitting against the plane looking out to the ocean.

"Looks like he'll survive," InuYasha said, after hearing everything that was going on inside.

"InuYasha, it was really great what you did today, with Miroku and all. I'm sure Sango will really appreciate it," Kagome said.

"Why should Sango appreciate it? I was helping Miroku out. Besides, it wasn't all _that_ great," he replied, slightly blushing at the compliment.

"Well, don't you notice that she likes him? It's completely obvious. And it seems like he likes her too!" Kagome explained.

"If she likes him, then why does she slap him all the time? And Miroku likes _all_ girls," InuYasha said. Kagome sighed.

"You can be so dense sometimes, InuYasha," she said, sort of nudging him with her elbow. "Anyway, _I_ think what you did was really nice of you, despite who you think you were helping," InuYasha's blushing deepened.

"W-whatever," was all he could manage to say.

_Oh InuYasha…you can be dense, but you also can't admit that you're a nice guy either? Sigh…if only you could see how nice you really are…_Kagome thought, as she moved closer to him, and linked arms with his. He looked sort of surprised at first but then just looked back to the ocean, looking like a beet.

Later, when the sun began to set, InuYasha and Kagome went back into the plane to see how the others were doing. They came in and found Sango in Miroku's arms as they both slept soundly. Sango had the hint of a smile on her face.

"So much for not liking him, eh?" said Kagome.

Sorry if it seems short! But I hoped you enjoyed it! Please review!


	11. Chapter 10: First Assassination Attempt

This truly is a milestone for me! Chapter 10! I plan to have about 5 or more so chapters plus an epilogue, so this story is almost over! It kind of makes me sad, but I have three other stories that I will be working on soon, to be released respectively: A Sango/Miroku humour fic, an InuYasha legal thriller and an InuYasha drama-ish (I don't really know how to describe it without revealing the story) fic. So I'm FAR from gone! Sorry it has taken so long for me to update! The next chapter will be out sometime next week. So until then, please enjoy Chapter 10 of Anything but Paradise!

**Disclaimer: As much as any Inu-fanfic author would love, I do not own InuYasha or anyone associated with him, he is under pure ownership of Takahashi-sama and the mighty company of VIZ. Too bad I don't have a few million dollars...**

**Chapter 10: First Assassination Attempt**

The room was dark and musty. The inconsistent sound of water dripping from the pipelines in the hallway echoed throughout the building. Sometimes, one could hear a rat or two scurrying about. It was the perfect hideout for any mafia gang.

Musou examined the room around him. There was only one fluorescent light which flickered constantly, making Musou's eyes hurt. On his left was a tattered brown leather couch that sagged when anyone sat in it. He also noted the few bloodstains on it as well, making him a twinge nervous.

To his right was a bare cement wall, with fresh coverings over cracks and whatever else. Musou figured this is what made the room cold, but he could think of something else that made this room unwelcoming.

Naraku sat at his desk in the center of his "office" sipping on a martini occasionally while polishing his revolver. How he cherished that thing. To Musou's recollection he spent over 50,000 yen on that thing. You would think he would buy a new place to do business.

"So what did you find?" Naraku asked, his eyes not leaving his beloved gun. Musou walked a little bit farther in the room. He regained his posture and began speaking.

"What we found was a little…unexpected," he started. Naraku continued polishing his gun. "When we came across the crash site where we landed, we spotted an uncharted island about 45 degrees west of our position," Still polishing. "And when we looked a bit closer we saw people," Still polishing. "And those people," Musou paused, taking a breath, "were the same people that were on the plane,"

Naraku stopped polishing his gun. He put it down. His crimson eyes shot up at Musou; a chill was sent up his spine.

"So…you're saying…they survived?" Naraku asked, hinting no emotion so far. Musou nodded meekly. He stood up at his desk and paced about 2 paces to his left, leaning against the desk.

"And Kagura? Has she taken care of Sesshomaru?" he asked.

"She's doing that as we speak, master," Musou explained. Naraku was now examining his nails.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Musou turned behind him to see Kanna, his older sister in the doorway with a much larger man behind her. Naraku turned around and headed back to his chair.

"We'll discuss this later, for I have other business to attend to. Just remember-I _do not_ tolerate failure," Naraku said, "You may leave now," Musou did as he said, nodding to the man standing in the doorway.

"Come in, come in," he heard Naraku say pleasantly to Kanna and the guest. "Kanna, please close the door,"

She did as she was told. Musou stood outside the door, trying to listen in on what's going on. He didn't make out what anybody was saying; he just heard muffled voices. He heard some people laughing. Suddenly, a gunshot ran through the building. The voices had been silenced. Musou found himself sweating.

_That could've been me just now, and it will be if something else messes up! Kagura, you better not screw this for us!_

Sesshomaru sipped his chardonnay. Himself, InuYasha's secretary Shippo, his own secretary Rin and Jaken were all dining at the_ Shikon no Tama _restaurant in uptown Tokyo for the evening, all paid for by Sesshomaru, of course.

Rin was doing her best to conceal her excitement; she had never eaten at a five star restaurant before. Sure, Sesshomaru-sama and Jaken-sama must do it all the time, but plain old Rin? It was also kind of overwhelming…everyone so dressed up and being so proper…let's just say that it wasn't the environment Rin grew up in.

She noticed that everyone was rather quiet tonight, not that Sesshomaru-sama did that much talking in the first place. But Jaken-sama…even Shippo-san. It must be because of the meeting with Bankotsu-sama and Jakotsu-sama earlier…

Earlier that day…

_Bankotsu stood in front of Sesshomaru's desk in the study of his grand suite. He was wearing a navy suit with a bright red tie; an obvious addition by Jakotsu, who was standing two feet behind them in a bright pink kimono with green and light purple sakura flowers embroidered in, and his face delicately painted on._

_"A new update, I assume?" Sesshomaru asked with his arms and legs crossed. Bankotsu nodded._

_"Definitely. I wouldn't be dressed up in a suit if we didn't have one," Bankotsu said._

_"Aw, but Bankotsu-kun, you look so nice in a suit!" Jakotsu commented from behind. Bankotsu scratched his head in slight embarrassment._

_"Any way, we got a picture of this Naraku guy from the surveillance footage from InuYasha's mansion," Bankotsu said, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. He handed it to Sesshomaru, who examined it thoroughly._

_"Excellent. You may continue on with your work," Sesshomaru stated simply. They did as they were told._

_Now he was that much closer to hunting Naraku down._

Rin just sipped her water. She never really understood any of that espionage stuff anyway. She decided she was just going to enjoy herself, and start up some conversation.

"So, Shippo-san, how long have you been working for InuYasha-san?" she asked. He seemed surprised that she was talking to him, but replied nonetheless.

"For about three years, I think. My dad was his dad's advisor, so I've known Inu-kun since I was younger," he explained.

Rin was about to ask another question when the waitress came by. She placed their clam chowders neatly infront of them. Rin noticed that she had very daring red eyes.

_Is she a demon…?_

"Please enjoy," she said politely. She walked off to serve other tables, glancing back at their table often.

The chowder smelled delicious, and Rin couldn't wait to try it. She picked up her spoon and began to take a bite.

"Don't eat it," Sesshomaru ordered. Rin looked really confused. The others weren't eating it either…was there something that she didn't know?

"What's the matter, Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked.

"It's poisoned," Shippo said, staring right into it.

"Poisoned? Are you sure?" she asked, still confused.

"Of course we're sure, silly human girl!" Jaken hissed. He looked as if he was about to continue, but Sesshomaru lifted his hand telling him to stop.

"What are you going to do, Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked, somewhat disappointed that her first meal at her first five star restaurant was poisoned.

"I will deal with it. I know who's behind it," he replied with his emotionless voice.

"Are you sure, my lord? I can take care of it if you wish," Jaken suggested, but Sesshomaru had already stood up and was walking towards the entrance.

"Well, what do we do then?" Rin asked Shippo.

"We sit and wait until he comes back, basically," he responded.

Rin looked back up at the entrance way, but Sesshomaru was gone. She turned her head and glanced at the kitchen doors, where the waitress with the red eyes was entering. She looked like she was in a hurry.

Kagura threw her apron off in frustration as she fled to the back alley. Just like Musou to give her the _wrong_ kind of poison!

_I told him! An odourless poison! Now he might be on to me!_

She turned to flee, but standing in her way…

…was Sesshomaru.

The sun was streaming and the ocean breeze was blowing lightly. The birds on the island were singing sweetly as the tide gently hit the shore. It was a beautiful day.

Not so for a few of the human inhabitants though. When Sango woke up, she seemed to wake up with amnesia; she nearly killed InuYasha's ears with her shriek. But her memory sure came back quickly when Miroku woke up, as she apologized for waking him up and asked if he was okay and rushed off to get him another cool cloth. He sure played the part; what kind of guy wouldn't love the attention of a beautiful girl? InuYasha (having no clue) just thought he was playing sick to get out of doing stuff.

Well, that didn't last too long, when he proved himself healed when he groped Sango…again. Now, as punishment he was doing the laundry that didn't get done yesterday. Everyone else was sitting in the airplane chairs in the shade relaxing. Kagome and Sango managed to crack open some coconuts, so all three of them were sipping on some coconut milk. InuYasha was laughing at Miroku's plight.

"That's what you get for playing hooky, you perv!" InuYasha yelled across the lagoon. Miroku just glared at him. The girls just giggled.

"Hey, Miroku…I think you missed a spot!" Sango called out. Miroku just sighed. The things he did for women.

When Sango decided he had enough punishment, to InuYasha's disappointment, Miroku sat in the vacant chair and emptied his coconut in a single gulp.

"Surely it couldn't have been _that_ hard," Kagome said, sipping from her own coconut.

"You would think with all the girls he hits on he'd at least be in touch with his feminine side," InuYasha mentioned. Miroku just sighed.

"What I put up with…" he began. Sango just punched him in the arm.

"Oh suck it up!" she said playfully, leaning back in her chair. Miroku was rubbing his 'injured' arm.

"Ha, well, when it comes to taking pain, he acts like a girl," InuYasha sniggered. Kagome punched InuYasha in the arm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. InuYasha was now rubbing his arm.

"What was that for?" InuYasha asked angrily. Kagome giggled.

"Oh, what? InuYasha can't take the pain?" Kagome teased. InuYasha smirked.

"You want pain?" he said. Kagome screamed and began running away, InuYasha chasing after her. They were both laughing.

"You can't run from me!" he taunted as he chased her around the chairs. She tried to out maneuver him and run towards the path back to the beach, but he caught her.

When he threw his strong arms around him, she let out a playful scream. He picked her from behind and began to spin her around. Both were acting as if they were the best of friends, or maybe more. Sango took notice to this and leaned over to Miroku.

"They seem to be getting rather close lately, eh?" Sango whispered.

"I'll say," he whispered back.

After they had their fun, they returned to the chairs, huffing and sweating. Both were letting out some last minute laughter too. Sango and Miroku noticed that they were holding hands.

Kikyo massaged her temples. Who knew that running a huge international corporation could be so tiring? The phone never stopped ringing. People always needed advice or something or other. She slouched in the big leather spinning chair. The phone rang for the 114th time today.

She groaned, but picked it up anyway. Where the hell was the stupid secretary, the kitsune? She couldn't remember his name. Oh well.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Hey, it's Naraku. You sound tired," Naraku said on the other end of the phone. Finally someone worth her time!

"Oh, it's okay. Just a long day," she replied, regaining her energy.

"Well, I'm calling to let you know, that I had some of my guys check it out, and no one survived, so you can stop worrying," he explained. Kikyo felt a bit better.

"Thanks," she replied.

"Say, before I come buy, I'll buy you something, okay?"

Kikyo squealed in delight. "Okay! Please hurry!"

"I will. Bye,"

"Bye!"

She hung up the phone. Now Kikyo was operating like the energizer bunny. She ran to the mirror in the office and began to fix herself.

Musou stood in Naraku's office once again. He hung up the phone. Musou couldn't understand why Naraku just told Kikyo that there weren't any survivors. His face stated his confusion and Naraku took notice to it.

"It's to keep her quiet and happy. She was starting to get nervous, and I don't want her to crack and go the authorities," Naraku explained.

Musou nodded. He just hoped that she wouldn't find out.

Kagura was petrified. Sesshomaru was the strongest demon known and now she was standing face to face with him, unarmed. And he looked angry. He began walking forward, and she moved back to try to flee. But she ended up just walking into a wall. He blocked any potential escape routes, not that it would matter; he could catch her instantly anyway.

He looked at her intently. "Who do you work for?" he asked quietly.

She remained silent. If she told, she would certainly be in a worse fate than suffering at Sesshomaru's hands. He held her by the neck.

"I said, who do you work for?" he repeated. She swallowed and shook her head.

"You don't want to die…the fear in your eyes says it all," he observed. "If you will not tell me who you work for, then maybe you can tell me where I can find my pathetic half-brother,"

Kagura still remained silent. Her forehead was occupied by tiny droplets of perspiration. _I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell…_

He looked at the name tag which she forgot to take off and then back up at her.

"Kagura, is it? We shall meet again, then," he said, removing his hand from her neck. Then he turned around and started walking away. She stood there, perplexed for a moment, but took the oppourtunity to flee.

_I know she works for Naraku and knows where InuYasha is. I will let her go, so she can lead me to him…_he thought, pulling out the remote that turned on the tracking device that he placed on Kagura's neck. It was a new design, created by Sesshomaru himself that was so small that not even the demon eye could see it.

Sesshomaru went back into the restaurant and sat down with the others. The poisoned soups and long since been returned back to the kitchen to be disposed of. Sesshomaru once again sipped his chardonnay like nothing happened.

It was all coming together…

And there it is! Not much happening on the island, but I'm saving it for later! Thanks to all my reviewers too!

**Another disclaimer: I do not own the energizer bunny.**

Please review!


	12. Chapter 11: Punishment and Truth or Dare

Hey guys! Sorry it took awhile to update, but I'm somewhat reluctant in ending this story (no matter how badly I can't wait to start a new one) plus grade 11 is killing me already! Plus cadets and concert band are going to be starting up again this week soooo...AND I'm now into Final Fantasy X-2 so I wanna keep up with that too (since I'm borrowing the game '). Thanks to all who have reviewed and have been with me since the beginning; I write for you guys! glomps all readers Oh, and sorry about last chapter's format. is being stubborn. Anywho, please enjoy Chapter 11 and REVIEW!

**Disclaimer: InuYasha and company aren't mine. I wish they were. But they aren't. Which really sucks because I wish they were. But they aren't. I would be really happy if they were. But they aren't. --**

**Chapter 11: Punishment and Truth or Dare**

Musou paced back and forth nervously across the room. Kagura stood and watched, exhausted from her escape from Sesshomaru. She was just as nervous as he was, even more so. If Naraku found out, she would certainly suffer the consequences. Musou would too.

It was only a matter of time…

"How could you let that happen?" Musou said, "Now we're both going to suffer!"

Kagura straightened up, angry at him for accusing the entire predicament on her. "It's not just _my_ fault! _You're_ the one who was supposed to give me the odourless poison! So if we're going to suffer, it's _your_ fault!"

Musou turned to look at her, daggers flying from him and at him at the same time. "That may be so, but Master Naraku gave _you_ the task of killing Sesshomaru, not me," he said, almost whispering. Kagura had to admit to herself-he had a point.

Neither said anything to each other after that. All that could be heard amongst the silence was the water dripping from the pipelines in the hallway and Musou's footsteps as he continued pacing back and forth. No one would have heard _her_ coming.

_There's got to be a way out of this somehow…_Musou thought. He glanced at the door and froze in shock. Kagura was also staring in the same direction, except with deep fear in her eyes.

In the doorway was their older sister Kanna, dressed all in white, with her pale skin and eyes, looking emotionlessly at them.

"Master Naraku wishes to see you now," she whispered.

Musou once again found himself in Naraku's office, but this time, he knew a punishment would certainly be given. He swallowed hard. He noticed Kagura slightly trembling and beginning to perspire.

"I assume you both know why you're here," Naraku began. He stood up and walked over to the corner of his desk, and sat there. "I'll begin with you, Kagura,"

Kagura stiffened, her eyes not leaving Naraku.

"I am disappointed with your performance. I give you simple tasks, and you fail to carry them through. Not only that…" Naraku explained, as he took something from a box in his desk, crushed it in his hand.

Kagura felt a deep, searing pain in her chest. She fell to the floor, clutching the area where her heart should have been. It was hard to breath. She looked up at Naraku, who seemed to be enjoying her pain. He walked up to her, and knelt to her level. All she could do was glare; her voice had been lost.

"It hurts, doesn't it Kagura? To have someone crush your heart like the vermin you are. You want to know what else hurts?" he said, squeezing the heart in his hand a little harder, causing Kagura to groan in pain. "Carelessness; that's what hurts a business man like my self, when those who work for me are careless enough not to do what they are told, or notice little things," he ripped a piece of flesh off her neck, causing her to gasp in even more pain. She couldn't breathe now.

"See this?" he asked, showing her the piece of her own flesh in which he just ripped off. "On this piece of flesh I hold here, is a tracking device, which was put on Sesshomaru, the one you failed to kill!" He threw the flesh at her, stood up, crushing her heart as hard as he could now. Kagura screamed in pain.

"Now, because of your carelessness, I might be found! Everything I've worked for, gone! Everything that I've ever given to you, lost forever! I do NOT tolerate failure! Do you understand?" Naraku yelled. Kagura just moaned in pain in response, her vision beginning to blur.

Naraku just smirked. He released his grasp on her heart. She let out a huge gasp, and began taking in deep breaths. Sweat rolled down her cheek as she lay on the floor, a small puddle of blood forming from where he ripped the flesh.

"You forget that I created you, Kagura. You are part of me; I own you. My advice to you is to learn that soon," Naraku said quietly. "Kanna put her in one of the cells,"

Kanna did as she was told. Musou tugged at his collar after witnessing what Naraku had done to his sister. Surely he was in for the same fate.

"Now your turn Musou," Naraku began.

Kagura felt exhausted, as she took in another deep breath. Kanna had long since left her, tied to these chains in this God-forsaken cell. As long as she was still alive, she found that she didn't really care anymore. After what just happened to her, this was a walk in the park; or nap, maybe.

She began to feel a little bit worried about her brother, but didn't dwell too much on that thought. Naraku always liked him more anyway. Her mind instead drifted to Sesshomaru…why had he spared her life?

Then she remembered: the tracking device. Of course, what use would a tracking device be if the person you were following was dead? But still…he could've just killed her anyway…despite his threats and such, that was the closest thing kindness Kagura had ever encountered.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of something being dragged out in the hallway. She peered through the darkness to try and see. She saw Kanna and another useless incarnation dragging something very large; something that appeared to be a body. Kagura looked closer and gasped when she saw what it was.

The body of her brother, Musou.

The little dot that was blinking on the computer screen had long since disappeared. But it stopped in one final location, the basement of an abandoned basement on the outskirts of Tokyo; Naraku's hideout.

This was enough to satisfy Sesshomaru. Now that he knew where to find Naraku, he just needed something to prove that he and Kikyo were behind the disappearance of his brother and where he was. He had a plan.

Bankotsu stood at the other end of the room, leaning against the wall. The suit had long since been removed, now wearing a light blue button-down shirt, with the first few buttons undone and black pants. Jakotsu was still wearing his fancy kimono.

"Now that we know where Naraku is, what do you suggest we do?" Bankotsu asked, staring at Sesshomaru with no peculiar interest. Sesshomaru did not look up at him.

"You are going to go there, and get him to admit that he had part in my brother's disappearance, as well as Kikyo, and have him tell you where my brother is," Sesshomaru ordered point-blank. He knew that undercover work was one of Bankotsu's specialties.

"What do I get to do?" Jakotsu asked excitedly. Sesshomaru just glanced at him.

"You…get to follow Kikyo around," he stated. Jakotsu stopped bouncing in excitement, with a look of disappointment on his face.

"It's not fair! Ban-kun gets all the fun jobs!" he moped. Bankotsu let out a small laugh.

Sesshomaru just rolled his eyes. Soon it would all be over.

The sun was beginning to set on the island. The gang was sitting around the fire, since it was starting to get chilly at nights. Kagome suggested, at the obvious boredom of everyone, that they play truth or dare. Everyone reluctantly agreed, seeing as there was nothing else to do.

Kagome started the game. "Hmm…InuYasha, truth or dare?" InuYasha just rolled his eyes. He hated trivial games like this.

"I don't know…truth," he answered.

"What was your most embarrassing moment?" Kagome asked.

"That's your question? Well, let's see…there was this one time, no wait, there was this other time…aw damn," InuYasha complained, releasing his life in general was his most embarrassing moment. The others giggled.

"I have a few good ones," Miroku suggested. InuYasha just glared at him. Of course Miroku would have 'a few good ones'.

"If you want to keep your job, then those few good ones will stay inside your trap," InuYasha threatened. Miroku let out a nervous laugh, not saying a word.

"I take it you've had quite a few?" Kagome inquired. InuYasha could only reply with a single 'keh'. She decided it was time to move on. "How about you Miroku: truth or dare?"

Miroku pondered the thought for a moment. "I will have to say…dare,"

This caught Kagome by surprise, and she began thinking of all the dares he could do. Sango put in her suggestion.

"How about you dare him not to grope anybody for a day?" she said, with a smug look on her face.

"Now, dear Sango, you know that I cannot do such a possible thing!" he replied.

"And why not? Or does the rule of 'keep your hands to yourself' not apply to you?" she threw back at him.

"I assure you, it does, but because I am insecure of my own feelings, I feel that touching others is my only way to communicate my feelings," he explained, attempting to sound intelligent. "I wish I could stop, but I am afraid to bring out my true self in the presence of others, and it places a dark hole in my very soul,"

Sango looked at Miroku, as if she actually believed him. He took notice of this, and continued.

"So, you must understand, I mean you no harm, I'm just demonstrating how much I care, and being my true self," he said, sneaking his hand to stroke her butt.

When she finally realized what was going on, she began to feel very angry. She slapped him-hard. She stood up.

"Does your true self happen to be an inconsiderate pervert!" she yelled, and stormed off. The sun had long since set, and they could no longer see her angry figure.

Miroku looked shocked. He stroked his face…she never slapped him _that_ hard before… "Was it something I said?"

Kagome sighed.

"Well, duh," InuYasha added. Miroku looked confused.

"Well, maybe it was because you were leading her to believe that you finally _realized_ that you have a _problem_ and that you actually _cared_ about her. Then you go and do something stupid like grope her!" Kagome explained.

"I never realized that…maybe I should go talk to her…" Miroku said, to no one in particular. He ran off in the direction that Sango ran in.

Kagome and InuYasha just sat there and watched as Miroku ran off.

"So much for that," InuYasha said, resting on his head on his hand.

"I just hope they can work things out. Sango seemed really upset this time," Kagome replied, then remembering what could've made her so upset.

"Oh my god…I almost forgot…" Kagome said, looking back in the direction which Sango left. InuYasha just ignored her. He was too tired to really care anyway.

Miroku tried to find Sango, but it was too dark to see. The moon was only a crescent moon, so its light was no help. Miroku stopped to catch his breath, and turned to look around. The campfire could no longer be seen, and neither could anything else. All he heard was the ocean surf and…crying?

He turned to his right towards the jungle, where he finally saw Sango's figure, her head bent low; she seemed to be crying into her hands. He decided to approach her quietly.

"Sango…what's wrong?" he asked, trying to sound as concerned as possible. Her head shot up when she heard his voice, and she turned around to confirm her fears. Although it was dark, he could see the stains that the tears placed on her face.

"What's wrong? You're asking me what's _wrong_? Are you that blind? You sit there and tell me you care about me and then pull the same stupid trick that you pull on every girl you see! You're inconsiderate and perverted and you'll never understand!" she shouted, new tears now streaming down her face as she began walking in the other direction to get away from him.

"Sango wait!" he cried, catching up to her.

"Go away!" she cried back. He ran up in front of her, to stop her from going any further. He held her firmly by the shoulders, and tried to look her in the eye, but she would just look away.

"Sango, I'm truly sorry for my actions, just please tell me what I don't understand," he pleaded with her. She still refused to meet his eyes, but she stopped struggling to get free. Silence was all that greeted him.

"Please…" he whispered. She sniffed, tears bordering her eyes again. She finally spoke.

"It was three months ago today," she began. Miroku removed his hands from her shoulders and listened intently. "Three months…since my father and brother were killed.

"I was coming home from work after working the graveyard shift. It was late, and I was expecting my father and brother, Kohaku to be home in bed when I came home. But when I got upstairs I…" she closed her eyes, and tears began to fall.

"It's okay, you don't have to…" Miroku began but she shook her head, indicating that she was going to continue.

"When I got upstairs to our apartment I noticed that the doorknob had been broken. I opened the door and found the place destroyed, and…my father…dead on the floor. He had been shot in the head. I…I couldn't believe it. I went to go check on Kohaku and found him under hostage with a gun pointed to his head. The man told me that it was Kohaku that killed our father…I didn't believe it, but the police found his fingerprints on the gun later on…Kohaku looked so scared, and this guy wouldn't let him go…he just…_killed _him. He killed a young boy, mercilessly…

"The man told me before he shot Kohaku; 'I want you to remember, Sango. Remember what happened. Remember the power I have. Remember who I am. Don't you dare forget!' And I feel like I've let both my father and Kohaku down, because I haven't been able to forget. I'm…not strong enough to forget…"

She bent her head low in shame and began crying again. Miroku gently lifted her head to look at him.

"You _are_ strong, Sango. You are the strongest person I've ever met," he stroked her tears away with his thumb. "I wasn't lying when I said I cared about you Sango. I care about you very much. You're extremely special to me and I'm sorry for my actions lately," he explained softly.

"Miroku…" she began, but couldn't find the words.

"Sango…_I love you_," Miroku said, bringing his lips to hers.

Sango was shocked, but immediately gave into the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, for once, feeling safe…and happy. When they had to leave the moment to breath, Sango said, "I love you, too Miroku,"

And they kissed again.

Kagome quietly jumped up and down happily in the bushes that were concealing both her and InuYasha. It was Kagome's idea to come check up on them to make sure murder wouldn't take place. InuYasha reluctantly came along, but he knew nothing _but _murder was going to happen.

Or so he thought.

"See! I told you they liked each other!" Kagome whispered excitedly. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," was all he had to say.

Naraku was now sitting at his desk, looking at the blood stains on the floor, where Musou's body had once lay. He decided to kill Musou because he had become useless to him; he failed to kill of InuYasha in the first place. Kagura, he kept her alive just so he could have someone to torture.

_But Sesshomaru is still a problem…looks like I'll have to take this into my own hands; just like that doctor girl's father…Sango, was it? She still cannot forget me, as I've seen the pain in her face when I've followed her. Interesting how she is on the same island as InuYasha…_he thought, but then went back to the problem of Sesshomaru.

_I will kill him myself. Sesshomaru…your days are numbered…_

An evil grin lurked across his face.

There! The Sango/Miroku relationship is resolved, and the plot is working up, which means the end is near! OMG! The end is near! Anyway, more Kagome/InuYasha fluff is coming, I'm just saving it for the end! Trust me, I have a master plan! Oh, and it was kind of sad that Musou dies, but I felt it would add to the drama. Plus, it's all part of my master plan with Kagura! Muwahahaha. Please read and review and stay tuned for Chapter 12! Ashieyu66


	13. Chapter 12: Undercover Arguement

Here it is! Chapter 12! Only 3 more chapters and an epilogue! I have it all planned and everything...it's so sad! I really like this story...but good things must come to an end, ne? Most of you will probably not like me so much by the end of this chapter, but bear with me: I HAVE A PLAN! Oh! And right after I post this chapter, I will be posting the first chapter of my Sango/Miroku Alternate Universe humour fic, titled 'Viva Las Vegas'! Please take some time to check that out, chapter two should be coming out soon as well! So please enjoy this chapter of 'Anything but Paradise'! Please read and review, and thanks to all my reviewers!

**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. Bottom line. If there wasn't a bottom line and I was filthy rich, I probably would but I don't. I don't own Mazda either. I certainly don't own one. (Read on to find out)**

**Chapter 12: Undercover Argument**

It really smelled in the little office which Naraku called home.

Bankotsu found it really hard to breathe, talk and look like nothing bothered him all at once, but the smell of human decay was enough to make him vomit.

_Sure, I've killed a number of people in my day, but not in cramped places where the smell accumulates! Is this guy that insane? I guess I'll find out…_

He had been sitting on the broken couch for about ten minutes now. When he first arrived, he had been 'greeted' by two rather unfortunate looking beings…if they were human, Bankotsu would never know, especially just by looking at them. Naraku certainly kept security tight around here, but not tight enough so that no one would detect the recording device ingeniously placed in Bankotsu's ear. Sesshomaru reassured him that it would not be detected like the tracking device on Kagura, since it sent no GPS signal; just recorded on a tiny microchip designed by Sesshomaru himself.

When he was finally granted access into the building, there was a young girl who looked no older than maybe seven or eight who led him to this office. She was very pale and spoke very little; this struck Bankotsu as odd. She led him through dark hall ways that had pipes dripping water from the ceiling and he thought he spotted a rat, too.

But what surprised him the most was walking down the hallway lined with cells. Most were empty, but to the first observer they had been used many times before. Bankotsu thought that some were maybe used for torture chambers, from the chains and the blood stains on the wall.

And this was all but proven when he passed a cell with the infamous Kagura, the one who Bankotsu learned had attempted to kill Sesshomaru, occupying it. She only glanced for a moment, and then her head fell down back to its mournful look.

_Probably punishment for not getting the job done…_Bankotsu thought as they rounded the corner and finally into the office.

Now he was waiting for this Naraku to finally come in. The clock on the wall behind the desk was ticking ever so slowly, and the sound was driving Bankotsu mad. He stared intently at the floor…he noticed that a bloodstain, a very large bloodstain, had once covered it. In fact, this who room seemed to be bathed in blood, from people who couldn't live up to Naraku's orders, he supposed.

Five more minutes went by. _Tick…tick…tick…_Bankotsu clenched his fist, and tried to keep his cool, for he had a very important job to do.

Naraku stood in front of Kanna, who just told him of the stranger's arrival. He seemed excited…this could be a very interesting client indeed!

Kanna told him the man called himself Bankotsu Banryuu, the gang leader of the Band of Seven in the Kyoto region, and according to whatever records they had, he was a fierce, powerful (and not to mention wealthy) leader. Records said that he personally slaughtered over 900 men and was one of the best jewel thieves in the country. And now he was here in Tokyo, coming to do business with Naraku?

This appealed to Naraku greatly. He had to meet with him at once! Kanna told him he was waiting for him in his office. This would certainly be interesting.

"I will meet with this Bankotsu, and see what he has to offer me…Kanna I want you to release Kagura, but keep a close eye on her from now on," Naraku ordered.

She bowed, and whispered, "Yes, Master Naraku,"

He left to go to his meeting with Bankotsu, and Kanna went to her younger sister's cell. She looked very forlorn, and didn't seem to notice her presence…but then again, who did?

She unlocked the gate and let herself in. Kagura looked up at her, but said nothing as she unlocked her chains. Once they were all unlocked, Kanna stood up to leave.

"W-wait…does this mean Naraku is letting me go?" Kagura asked, massaging her wrists from the friction from the chains.

"Yes…he warns you not to do something you will regret…" she whispered in response, and disappeared around the corner. Kagura left her cell. She knew what she had to do. Naraku killed her brother, now it was time for revenge.

She turned to the exit, and went to go find Sesshomaru.

"Ah, Bankotsu-san, it is finally nice to meet you. I've heard many great things about you," said the man now standing in the doorway. He had long dark hair and crimson eyes. This had to be Naraku.

He stood up and bowed, and Naraku bowed in return. Soon they were shaking hands.

"And you must be Naraku. I've heard many things about you too," Bankotsu replied. Chuckling, Naraku took a seat at his desk.

"Please have a seat," he said, motioning to the couch. Bankotsu straightened out his tie and then sat down.

"So what can I do for the great Bankotsu Banryuu?" Naraku asked, hands folded in front of him on his desk.

"I have a proposition for you, one that I believe you'll take much interest in," Bankotsu replied. Naraku leaned forward in interest.

"And what would that be?" Naraku inquired. Bankotsu crossed his legs.

"Well, you happen to know Sesshomaru Takahashi, the owner of the Tenseiga Corporations? Recently, his company has been expanding into my territory and I don't have enough man power to take him out, so I was hoping I could turn to you, as I've heard you've attempted assassination before," Bankotsu explained. A wry grin was now across Naraku's face.

"That does sound interesting…what kind of payment are we talking about here?"

Bankotsu let out a small laugh. "Now that's the kind of man I like to do business with, a man who is straight to the point. We're talking about a very large sum, 25 million yen at the least,"

Naraku's face lit up with delight, while still maintaining the face of an evil mafia leader. "I like the sound of that,"

"I knew you would. Say, mind if I ask you something?" Bankotsu asked.

"For 25 million yen minimum, ask away," Naraku replied, leaning back in his chair.

"I have some sources telling me that _you're_ the one who's behind Sesshomaru's half brother, InuYasha. Is this true?"

Naraku contemplated at telling him the truth at first, but why not? It wouldn't hurt sharing a few secrets with a fellow gang leader like Naraku himself. And of course, the amount of 25 million yen had nothing to do with this decision.

"Yes, in fact, it is. Would you like to know how I did it?"

Bankotsu surely looked interested. "Yes, I would,"

So Naraku explained everything to him from the beginning, from meeting Kikyo, to their premature plans, to Musou and Kagura's infiltration into the airport, to the actual crash. He even told him that they all survived, but did not reveal a location. Bankotsu had no problem with this. Naraku even shared his tale of lying to his girlfriend about the survivors.

"You certainly have your way of doing things," Bankotsu mentioned. Naraku gave him a sly look.

"I'm just a man who knows what he wants," Naraku replied.

_Just a man who will serve a very long time in jail…_Bankotsu thought, standing up.

"Well, I believe are business here is done. I expect the job to be done in a week's time; I'll send an associate later to inform me on how you're doing. Do we have a deal?" Bankotsu asked, putting his hand in front of him, indicating he wanted to shake on it.

"Of course, I won't let you down," Naraku replied, shaking Bankotsu's hand firmly.

"I'm sure you won't," Bankotsu said, "I'm sure you won't,"

Jakotsu sat in the front of his sleek Mazda looking in the rear view mirror waiting for Kikyo to finally go home. He adjusted his designer sunglasses, and sighed.

_How long is this going to take? She's never taken this long before…but then again, I've never followed her before…oh it's not fair! Ban-kun gets to do all the fun stuff while I'm stuck following Miss Two Face around! She can't even accessorize properly!_

Jakotsu huffed and puffed to himself like this for the next three minutes before he caught sight of Kikyo getting into the company limousine. Jakotsu started up his car, and began the chase.

He stayed two cars behind as to not look suspicious. Jakotsu took pictures with his miniature camera for photographic evidence that would probably be used against her later.

_I'll make sure she suffers for trying to hurt my poor Inu-kun! _Jakotsu thought darkly as he turned at the exit that the limousine took. It stopped soon at a chic café that was just downtown. Surely she could've walked there! But then again, in those heels she was wearing…

He parked on the other side of the street and slowly got out of the car. He crossed the street elegantly, now wearing a light blue kimono with yellow lilies embroidered along the bottom. He stepped into the café and took a booth near the back. He took out a magazine from his purse and flipped it to a page where a tiny screen was fixed into the center. A small camera on the cover allowed him to see everything in front of him without looking odd.

On the screen he saw Kikyo sitting in a window seat, checking her watch frequently.

_If only I could get a hand on her wardrobe…that outfit is atrocious!_

Soon a man with long dark hair wearing a dark suit came in. She immediately greeted him with a long kiss and they sat down. Luckily enough for Jakotsu, he wasn't sitting that far away…

"So I met with somebody today," the man explained.

"Uh-huh…" Kikyo replied, looking for more details.

"And he's going to pay me 25 million yen to take out Sesshomaru myself within the next week," he explained further.

"Really! 25 million yen! That's a lot for one man. Who was this guy anyway?"

_Obviously Bankotsu, you dimwit!_ Jakotsu thought. Surely his 25 million yen offer was a big hint; it was an appealing number to all gang leaders and such.

"He's very wealthy and powerful, but is very secretive and doesn't like his named mentioned for the sake of it,"

"Ah, I understand," she replied playfully.

"He also said that the 25 million yen was the _minimum_,"

"Wow! So he could end up paying you even more?"

_How stupid do they come?_ Jakotsu thought, his face clearly showing his expression. Suddenly he glanced up, and saw Kikyo walking straight towards him!

_Uh-oh…do I look suspicious? Can she see the camera?_ Jakotsu thought (plus thousands more other thoughts) as she came closer and closer. He closed the magazine as so she wouldn't see the little screen. He hoped anyway.

"Excuse me, miss?" Kikyo asked him. He'll let the 'miss' thing fly this time…he didn't want to blow his cover.

"Yes?" he responded.

"Where did you get that purse? It's adorable!" she said.

_Phew…thank the gods she's stupid!_

"I got it at this little boutique on the corner of Hiten and Maten Avenue. It's called 'Tsubaki's Bag Boutique'," he explained.

"Okay! Thanks!" she said with a fake smile on her face and walked back to her table.

_That was a little close…_he looked at his designer purse beside him…_THANK YOU PURSE! I am definitely going back to Tsubaki's after this job for an all out shopping spree!_

Well, it's not everyday that a purse saves your cover.

The humidity…all everyone could think and moan about was the humidity. Kagome laid in the shade attempting to cool her off by using a palm tree leaf as a fan, with little success unfortunately. InuYasha sat leaned up against the palm tree, topless and his hair to one side to get it off his neck. Miroku and Sango were splashing about in the ocean.

Kagome was very happy for her friend, ever since she got together with Miroku two nights ago. It was about time Sango had a boyfriend; she had been very lonely before. Now if only her and Inu…

…wait, what was she thinking? He already had a girlfriend. This brought Kagome down a bit, but she tried not to worry about it. They were just good friends…well, with the holding hands and everything…friends held hands, right?

She glanced up at him for a moment, and noticed his eyes were closed. He seemed to be sleeping, from his light breathing. Kagome took this opportunity to gaze at the one thing hotter than the temperature.

_He's got to be the best looking guy I've ever seen! Better looking than Koga! I wonder if that kind of hotness on a guy is even legal…his girlfriend is pretty lucky…and probably pretty too…sigh…_

InuYasha felt a pair of eyes burning into his chest and abdominal area. He knew it was Kagome, she'd been checking him out ever since the first time he took his shirt off. It was like she's never seen abs before.

_I'll let her look for now…but not for too long…_

Two minutes went by. Kagome was still staring (and is that drool!). Now InuYasha was getting annoyed. All he wanted to do was have a nap! He opened one eye.

"Does something interest you?" he asked sarcastically. She immediately looked away, turning slightly to her left.

"Uh, no…I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, trying to sound innocent. InuYasha rolled his eyes. Kikyo would _never_ look at him like that _ever_.

_Kikyo_…

Just the thought of her made InuYasha sad. Had she given up on him now? She must be so worried and depressed, considering their last words together were all part of an argument. It made him feel rotten to the core.

He cracked open his eyes slightly to see Kagome's back facing him, finding interest in drawing in the sand. He closed his eyes and shifted slightly.

But he hadn't really felt that bad when he was with Kagome. She wanted for nothing and was just happy all (well, most) of the time, and made all his bad feelings go away. She was like a tranquilizer to him…he felt at peace when he was with her.

Suddenly, he felt the eyes burning holes into his well-toned body again. Couldn't the girl just give it a rest? He shot open his eyes and sat up.

"Do you mind? It's pretty hard to just sleep around here without some fan-girl staring at you all the time!" InuYasha snapped. So much for being a tranquilizer.

Kagome immediately accepted the challenge. "I _wasn't_ staring at you! _You're_ just _paranoid_ and think everybody's obsessed with you!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" InuYasha yelled, "I ain't paranoid! And I don't think that everybody's obsessed with me!"

"Yes you do! You accused me of being your fan-girl!"

"Because you just can't stop staring at me! If anybody is obsessed with me, it's YOU!"

"I am _not _obsessed with you! Why would I waste my time with a spoiled brat who's just a stupid ass!"

"_You're_ the one who's spoiled and stupid!"

"No I'm not! You're the one with all the money and everything!"

Sango and Miroku (whom had been standing there for a while) just watched at the bickering couple (who were now standing nose to nose). Sango sighed, and Miroku just shook his head. And they had been getting along so well…

"Yes you are! You were stupid enough to almost get married to the stupid wolf weren't you?"

Kagome gasped, and backed off. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Miroku and Sango looked shocked that InuYasha would say something so personal. Kagome was on the brink of tears. She closed her eyes, and clenched her fists.

"_Stupid hanyou!_" she yelled with all her might, before running off into the jungle behind her. Tears from her eyes streamed down her face, as she made her way through the thick underbrush all around her.

InuYasha stood there, looking flabbergasted. How could Kagome have said such a thing? He wanted to go confront her, but he found that he couldn't move.

_She really hates me that much?_

Sango and Miroku just looked on, no words being able to ease the situation. Sango couldn't believe the childishness of both of them…using such personal attacks against each other over one looking at the other. After a few moments of silence, InuYasha finally spoke.

"Fine! She wants to be that way, then its fine with me!" he said in a huff storming off to sit under another tree. Kagome's intoxicating scent that still coated the air around this tree was confusing his thoughts.

Most would've believed that he was just angry, like a five year old right at this moment. But little would they know how much he was hurting inside…

Kagome furiously pushed ferns and other plant life aside, while tears continued to flow. She hadn't taken the path to the hot spring, she just started to walk into the jungle, and a little voice in the back of her head was telling her she was lost.

But that little voice was overpowered by the thoughts on the forefront of her mind.

_How DARE he say that thing to me, after I told him in the belief he would understand! How can he hate me that much?_

Suddenly, so caught up in her thoughts, Kagome slipped. She turned and tumbled down a very steep hill, being hit by tree roots and rocks on the way down. The world was spinning around her. She didn't even have time to scream.

She landed at the bottom with a thud. Every joint in her body hurt, and her entire body was covered in mud. She didn't move at first, just letting it all the pain settle in. But then she heard the most frightening sound…

_Hiiiissssss…_

She looked behind her, but it was too late. The yellow rattle snake at her ankle had already struck, causing a burning sensation within her right leg. She used her left leg to kick it off, and it soon retreated. She tried to move to see the bite, but was slowed down immensely by the pain in her bones.

She examined the bite. There were two clear punctures, which were already swollen purple. She felt dizzy, and tired. All she wanted to do was sleep. And was it just her, or was it getting hotter outside…?

That's when the realization set in. The snake was poisonous. She couldn't move. The sun was going down, and no one knew where to find her.

It was most certain she was going to die.

_InuYasha…please! Please find me!_

A cliffhanger! Holds up big metal shield to protect herself from flying objects I liked Jakotsu's part! He can be so adorable! Thank you again to all my reviewers, please continue to do so! Now, while you're waiting for Chapter 13, go see my new fanfic!


	14. Chapter 13: That Much Closer

PLEASE. Please find it in your hearts to forgive me! Because I'm really really really really REALLY **REALLY** sorry for taking so long! I've been charging through school, cadets, concert band...plus lack of inspiration and motivation too! But I finally finished this chapter! YAY! I will attempt to finish the story by the end of October/beginning of November! Thank you all for bearing with me! Please enjoy this long awaited chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha and co. If I did, well...that would be really cool.**

**Chapter 13: That Much Closer**

The sun had completely set. Minutes had gone by in what seemed to be hours. Breathing became extremely difficult, and Kagome didn't know how much longer she could last. Sweat and tears rolled down her face as immense pain shot from where the snake had punctured its poisonous fangs.

_Please…someone…find me…_Her mind called out as her voice was now useless. Her vision was cloaked with darkness…her body just wanted to sleep, and she felt herself slowly giving into that desire. Her mind tried to resist it with all its might, but the realization that no one was coming…

_InuYasha…please…I'm sorry for everything…please…_her heart cried out, but knowing all too well that no one could hear her.

InuYasha tapped his fingers against the armrest of the chair. His foot shook in no particular rhythm. He stared at the fire intently trying to look angry, but Sango and Miroku knew better: he was worried.

It had been a while since Kagome left. The sun had long since set since their argument. Sango was also worried about her friend…she assumed that she went to the hot spring to relax, but when Sango went to go check up on her, she wasn't there…she feared the worst.

Miroku was in tune with his girlfriend's emotion and tried to comfort her. Surely InuYasha would soon go after her. She couldn't have gone that far.

But both had to admit his tapping was annoying. Kagome was out in the jungle somewhere while he was sitting here being his own percussion band! Sango wanted to say something, but Miroku held her back. She reluctantly complied, seeing as he knew him more than she did.

_Kagome's been gone too long…I can't smell her anywhere near here…_InuYasha thought as he stared into the fire. After Kagome stormed off crying the horrible sense of guilt overwhelmed him.

_I shouldn't have said that to her. She deserves better than that…Damn it! I really AM a stupid hanyou…_

Don't say that. She didn't mean it.

_Who the hell are you?_

I'm your conscience, the same conscience that you argued with over that whole spider prank…

_Great, I'm talking to voices in my head. I'm now officially insane._

No you're not. Everyone talks to their conscience once in a while. Some more than others, of course…let me just say you and I don't talk that often…

_Shut up. Unless you have anything important to say, go away._

But I always have something important to say. And 'going away' isn't as easy as you think…being a conscience is a full time job. A very poor paying full time job, I mean working for YOU isn't a piece of cak---

_GET ON WITH IT._

Sheesh, tough crowd. Anyway, you've got to know that Kagome cares about you and would never do anything to hurt you.

_I guess…_

She was just reacting on anger, since you didn't consult with ME before you opened your big mouth. I mean, c'mon, I'm here for a reason you know!

_I get it!_

Well, I guess what I'm trying to tell you, is that you should go find her and apologize. Even if you think she started it, you should let go of that huge ego of yours and tell her you're sorry. She'll most likely do the same.

_sigh I guess you're right…_

You guess? What are you talking about? I'm ALWAYS right!

_Shut up!_

InuYasha then made his decision. He would find Kagome and tell her he was sorry. Besides, his gut was telling him that something bad happened and he wanted to make sure she was okay.

InuYasha was sure acting strange. He had stopped fidgeting, which was a relief for Sango's sanity, but now it seemed he was arguing with himself. Maybe the humidity was really getting to him…

He then stood up and began walking slowly to where Kagome had once stood earlier. He seemed to be familiarizing himself with her scent (not that he wasn't already familiar with it). Suddenly, he darted off into the jungle. Sango just looked at Miroku, who just shrugged.

The world seemed so far away. Where was she? It didn't matter anymore. The pain had gone away, that was all that mattered. Kagome had entered a sweet bliss…nothing mattered anymore. She was floating in a pastel coloured world, where the air tasted sweet and felt cool. It was her little dream world.

However, back in reality, nothing was tranquil. Her body temperature was reaching a dangerous point, and her entire leg was completely swollen and taking on a black colour. Her heart was beating extremely fast and irregularly. It was only minutes before she would die.

InuYasha searched frantically for Kagome. He smelled her clearly, but he also smelled some blood, and sensed a great deal of suffering. His heart wretched in pain at the thought of Kagome suffering…he continued to tear through the brush of the jungle floor, following her scent.

Suddenly, he came across a drop off, and it was the same place where Kagome's scent disappeared. He looked and saw that the mud looked disturbed as if something fell…

He quickly slid down the hill, finding Kagome's scent again. He got to the bottom of the hill, and his heart stopped.

Kagura checked herself for any tracking devices that might have been planted on her before she left the warehouse. When she felt she was clean, she made her way towards the city. She got into her vehicle and sped down the dirt road onto the freeway. She checked her mirrors constantly to make sure she wasn't being followed.

_I'll get my revenge for Naraku killing my brother…_she thought as she maneuvered her way in and out of traffic.

When she finally got to the city, she began searching for any sign of Sesshomaru. The company limo, his staff, anything…suddenly she caught a glimpse of a white-haired man entering a hotel. She stopped to get a better look.

It _was_ Sesshomaru! She quickly parked the car, and waited until he went inside before she left the car. He probably remembered her scent, and wouldn't look forward to meeting her again. Once the coast was clear, she composed herself and got out of the car and made her way inside.

The hotel lobby was bustling with people checking in and out. There was no sign of Sesshomaru anywhere, so she went to the clerk.

"Uh, which room is Takahashi-san staying in? We have an appointment," she said in a business like tone. The clerk looked at her suspiciously, but complied anyway.

"In the Penthouse suite, on the twenty-second floor," he said politely. She bowed as a sign of thanks and made her way to the elevator. She closed the doors and pushed the '22' button. Slowly, the elevator began to move.

_2…3…4…5…_

She still couldn't believe that Musou was dead. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

_…6…7…8…9…_

It really wasn't Musou's fault…it should've been her that died, not him…

_…15…16…17…18…_

She would make Naraku pay. Sesshomaru was the only one who could help her. Of course, he probably knew everything, but she wanted to be of some help…

_…19…20…21…22_

The doors opened up. She looked left and right. The sign indicated that the penthouse suite was left, so she ran that way. She turned a corner when…

…she bumped into someone who covered her mouth and quickly dragged her away. She tried to scream and kick the person away but he was much stronger. She then found herself being thrown into a room, where the door was quickly closed and locked.

"Did Naraku send you to kill me again?" said a very familiar voice. She looked up to see Sesshomaru, sipping a glass of wine by the window. She looked behind her to see the same man that she saw walking by her cell earlier…could he be working for Sesshomaru?

"I asked you a question," he said quietly. Kagura cleared her throat and tried to sound confident.

"No, he did not. I came on my own accord, in hopes of assisting you in Naraku's capture," she answered, standing up.

"You would betray your master?" he asked, looking at his wine glass.

"He slaughtered my brother. Not taking revenge for his death would be betrayal of my family. I could care less about what happens to Naraku," she replied calmly.

Sesshomaru looked at her intently with those gold eyes. A chill was sent down her spine.

"I do not need your help. My assistant Bankotsu has required all the information I need," he stated. Bankotsu shrugged.

"Well, almost," he said under his breath, but loud enough for Kagura to hear.

"What do you mean by 'almost'?" she asked, turning to him.

"The only thing that Naraku didn't spill was where InuYasha's plane crashed, but we're working on that," he explained. She turned back to Sesshomaru excitedly.

"I know where the plane crashed! I can bring you there! Please!" she said, in a tone that was mixed with excitement and pleadingly.

Sesshomaru looked at her for a moment. He could tell that she was telling the truth; she really did loathe Naraku, didn't she?

Her red eyes were begging him to let her help him.

"Alright, we will leave in an hour. Don't let yourself get caught," he simply replied, turning around to look out the window again.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

Kagome lay motionless at the bottom of the hill. She had never looked so lifeless…her leg was swollen black, her eyes were glazed over and sweat dripped down her face. InuYasha ran to her side.

"Kagome? Can you hear me?" he said, shaking her lightly. He glanced down at her swollen leg and noticed two puncture marks.

_Was she bitten by a poisonous snake?_ The wound seemed fresh, but the poison was taking quick effect. He supported Kagome's head with his arms and tried to get a response out of her.

"Kagome, please say something! It's me, InuYasha! Say something if you can hear me!"

Kagome's peaceful dream world was being disturbed by something. She felt herself shifting positions.

_Kagome? Can you hear me?_

Who was calling her? The voice sounded so familiar, but so far away…she wanted to find out who it was, but didn't want to leave her lovely bliss.

_Kagome, please say something!_

Was something wrong? The person seemed concerned…_I'm okay…_she responded thinking the person could hear her.

_It's me, InuYasha! Say something if you can hear me!_

Inu…Yasha…? _InuYasha!_

Suddenly all the pain was coming back to Kagome. The world around her began to form, and above her was a pair of gold eyes who were looking down on her…they looked very scared.

"Inu…" she whispered.

"Kagome! Don't worry! I'll get you out of here!" he said, picking her up bridal style and started running up the hill.

She felt a breeze hit her face, and heard InuYasha's breathing as he ran. He came for her…that thought enough made the pain go away once again.

_Please don't die on me, Kagome!_ InuYasha thought as he once again tore his way through the dark jungle.

InuYasha soon saw the glow of the camp fire. He began shouting for Sango and Miroku's assistance.

"Sango! Miroku! Come quick! Kagome's hurt!"

When he reached the beach, Sango and Miroku were ready for the worse. When they saw Kagome, they turned pale.

"I found her at the bottom of a hill. I think she was bitten by a snake. Sango, can you do something to save her?" he asked pleadingly. She looked up at him and back to Kagome. All of her studies on snake bite treatments in medical school had some how left her mind. She scrambled to remember; what she could tell was that Kagome was running out of time.

"Uh…you…we need to lay her down," Sango stuttered, leading him to the plane.

Miroku turned on the emergency flashlight they found weeks earlier to allow for some light for Sango to work in. When InuYasha laid Kagome down, Sango began examining her quickly. It was all coming back now. Kohaku had been bitten by a poisonous snake once, so this wasn't new to her.

Of course, Kohaku hadn't been left untreated for so long…

She looked at the punctures on Kagome's ankle, and noticed it was started to get infected. She ordered Miroku to get some ocean water, and InuYasha to get a cool cloth for her head. Kagome was also severely dehydrated, Sango noticed, but she needed to get the venom out first. She went down to the wound and started to suck the venom out.

Miroku and InuYasha returned. She told InuYasha to put the cloth on her head, and he quickly complied. She then slowly began pouring the salt water over her wounds. Kagome screamed in pain.

"You're hurting her!" InuYasha yelled.

"It's to prevent infection so that she will survive longer! Now shut up and let me do this!" Sango shouted back. InuYasha shut his mouth. Kagome's breathing was very shallow.

"Miroku, look through the first aid kit for antiserum or something," Sango ordered, checking Kagome's circulation and pulse. He did immediately what he was told.

"InuYasha, help her sit up so I can give her some water," she ordered. InuYasha tenderly supported her neck and head as Sango poured the water into Kagome's mouth. InuYasha gently put her back down, while Sango placed a cool cloth on her head. Then she put a blanket over her upper body to prevent shock. She then moved down to Kagome's wound and continued to suck the venom out.

InuYasha looked at Kagome's paled face. Her eyes were clenched tight from the pain. She moaned quietly now and then. He felt as if he felt her pain, only in his heart.

_I should've looked for you sooner…_

"Sango, I couldn't find anything…" Miroku said quietly.

Sango looked at him. _Damn…_then she resumed sucking out the venom.

"What are we going to do then? Kagome can't just die!" InuYasha yelled.

Sango stopped and looked up at him with a devilish glare.

"We're going to keep _calm_, as to not worry or excite Kagome, and I'll keep sucking the poison out for about half and hour. Then I'll give her a mixture of charcoal and water for her to drink. I might bring her to the hot spring to sweat it out, if she's well enough. Now, sit and be quiet," she said darkly. InuYasha gulped. Sango resumed to sucking the poison out.

The next half hour was the longest half hour in InuYasha's life. The plane was thick with silence and grief. The good thing was, though, that Kagome seemed to become more relaxed. Her breathing was becoming even and her fever seemed to be going down. But the pained look on her face was enough to crush InuYasha's heart…

Soon Sango and Miroku were outside gathering charcoal for this concoction that Sango had described earlier. InuYasha just looked on worryingly and continued to flood with guilt each passing minute. Once they came back, they mixed the charcoal with water and assisted Kagome in drinking it. They gave her a sip every fifteen minutes.

It was very dark outside now. There were no stars in the sky, and the moon was cloaked by inky clouds. It was unusually quiet, besides the ocean surf lightly tickling the shore…but there was no breeze of wind to be felt. It was if nature was mourning for Kagome's pain with them.

After another had gone past, they stopped giving Kagome the charcoal mixture, and just decided to let her rest. Sango and Miroku went outside by the fire while InuYasha remained by Kagome's side. Her breathing was even now, and her body temperature seemed to have returned to normal. But she still seemed to be in pain, even if was only little. InuYasha continued to punish himself.

"I could've gotten to you faster. I should've never said any of those things to you. You had every right to call me a stupid hanyou, because that's what I am,"

She seemed to make no response. He continued.

"Dammit Kagome! Don't die on me! I would never be able to forgive myself ever…all you've ever done was be kind to me and I repay you by saying those awful things just because you were _looking_ at me…fuck! I'm such an idiot! Please, I don't care if you can never forgive me, just please don't die!"

He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. Tears began to brim in his eyes. Her hands still felt a bit cold and clammy…hands that were once soft and warm…and had cared for him…

"Please, Kagome…I could never forgive myself…_please_,"

Tears were now strolling down his face. He put Kagome's hand to his face and nuzzled it gently.

"You can stare at me all you want, I promise I won't get mad…don't leave me here…I…"

Suddenly, he felt Kagome's thumb stroking away a tear. He shot open his eyes and found himself looking into Kagome's eyes…which were open!

"Kagome!"

"InuYasha…how are you?" she said smiling. Her voice was still a bit scratchy, but InuYasha could care less. She was alive!

He let out a small laugh, as more tears continued to fall. Nothing in the world could describe his current happiness. He held her hand tighter and leaned his face into it more.

Kagome tried to sit up. InuYasha immediately helped her, but protested against it.

"Kagome, you're still not well, you should lie down and rest,"

She shook her head, assuring him she was fine; just a little bit dizzy, but nothing overly serious. She used her free hand to wipe away InuYasha's tears.

"Everything's okay now, InuYasha…you don't need to cry anymore. I heard what you said…and don't worry; I've forgiven you. It's me that should be sorry. You're not a stupid hanyou. You're perfect the way you are, and wouldn't change a thing about you. I want to thank you for coming to find me and saving my life…" Kagome explained. Her face began to regain its colour. InuYasha pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly. Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. He buried his nose in her arm and breathed in her scent.

_I could live off this scent…_

They held each other like this for what seemed to be a blissful eternity. They let go to look at each other. Kagome had never seen InuYasha cry before…he didn't seem to be the type who shed tears. She had never felt happier…she truly loved him.

He looked deep into her eyes. He gave a small but sincere smile. What was this feeling deep inside him? He didn't care, he was just happy that Kagome was alive and with him in this very moment. That was when he decided.

He put his hands around her face, closed his eyes and leaned in, putting his lips against hers.

At first Kagome was shocked, but she closed her eyes and gave into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

_I never want to leave…_both thought at the same time.

It was just them in their own little world…that much closer.

**Disclaimer: Do not use any of the methods mentioned for treating snake bites. I just got these ideas off random websites and therefore cannot be completely sure if this is proper treatment. If you do find yourself bit by a snake, my best advice is to get medical attention immediately.**

Please review and tell me what you think! I hope you enjoyed InuYasha's conversation with his conscience. I think we all talk to ourselves like that sometimes :) Let me know if InuYasha seemed to sappy or not. Thank you and I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can!


	15. Chapter 14: Broken Hearted Rescue

Umm...eh-heh...looks at angry mob of readers...anybody want a cookie??? mob gets closer Gah!!! Please don't hurt me!!!!! Here's the next chapter!!! The story's almost over!!! Please forgive my absolute tardiness!!!!!!!! It's just been really busy and I seem to have a bad case of writers block I guess. But I'm working on it! But here's the next chapter of "Anything but Paradise" that I give to you all as a piece offering as well as a box of cookies. Only one more chapter and an epilogue to go!!! Please REVIEW and ENJOY!

* * *

**Chapter 14: Broken-Hearted Rescue**

_If this is a dream, I never want to wake up…_

Feeling Kagome's lips against his was the most sensational feeling InuYasha had ever experienced. He felt her heart throbbing out from her chest; this told him she felt that way too. He felt they were the only two people in the world…he felt truly happy.

_Never…

* * *

_

"Where is she?" Naraku demanded.

"Where is who, master?" Kanna asked quietly.

"Kagura! It's time to get rid of Sesshomaru," Naraku responded.

Just at that moment, as if fate was on his side, Kagura walked in.

"Where've you been?" he asked coolly, with a hint of anger.

Kagura had to think of something quick. _I was just talking to Sesshomaru about how we're gonna bust you_, she thought, but a little voice inside her told her that it probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to say.

"I was getting gas for my car," she replied smoothly. "There's this really cheap gas bar on the other side of town,"

Naraku seemed to have fallen for it, dismissing the matter immediately.

"Anyway, it's time to put our plan into action," he said.

Kagura gave a short gasp. "Already?"

"Bankotsu is promising me a lot of money. I would hate to disappoint him," Naraku smirked and looked at her. "I want you to kidnap that human secretary of his. He seems attached to her. Then lure him here so he can watch her torture then suffer his own death,"

Kagura sighed. "You have a knack for toying with people's emotions, don't you?"

Naraku gave a little chuckle, as if it was all a game. "It makes the job that much more interesting. Nothing like a little bit of blood shed to lighten up the day,"

That last comment struck a chord in Kagura, reminding her of the slaughter of her brother. She bit her tongue and fought back her emotions. She knew the task she had at hand.

"Well, what are you standing there for? Get to it!" Naraku ordered.

"Yes master," she said quietly exiting.

_You're going down, Sesshomaru…_

_You're going down, Naraku…

* * *

_

Kagura met Sesshomaru up at the rendezvous point, telling him of Naraku's plan. Sesshomaru muttered something about Naraku being a fool, but reluctantly went ahead to make it look like Sesshomaru was falling into Naraku's trap. He seemed really reluctant when it came to Rin, however.

"I promise nothing will happen to her," Kagura reassured, taking hold of the girl.

Sesshomaru looked away. Kagura began to explain to Rin on how to act as a hostage as she tied her up to make it look convincing. She even put her in the trunk of her car.

Kagura closed the trunk. Sesshomaru was on his cell phone, calling the authorities, she assumed. He closed the phone, and walked in her direction.

"Is everything ready?" she asked.

"Yes, you can go now. We won't be far behind," he responded. Kagura nodded and started to head to the driver's seat of her car.

"Wait," his voice said from behind. Kagura stopped and looked at him.

"Please keep her safe," he said quietly. She gave a small nod and got into the car. She began to drive back to Naraku's hide out.

Kagura's car got further and further into the distance. Sesshomaru closed his eyes. This was it. Soon Naraku would be captured, and his brother would be returned to bring his company back into working order. Something inside him though wished that Rin didn't have to get involved…

"Sesshomaru-sama, the government authorities are on there way. Bankotsu and Jakotsu are just leaving the airstrip to get your brother too," Shippo explained. He heard sirens in the background.

_Please keep her safe…

* * *

_

Kagura drove at a moderate speed so her arrival with the "hostage" wouldn't be so suspicious. She had deep faith that their plan wouldn't fail, but she still felt worried that something would go wrong. She made a promise to Sesshomaru that Rin wouldn't get hurt, and she couldn't go back on that promise. Kagura noticed the look in his eyes as Rin got into the back of the trunk.

_He's certainly an unreadable guy, that's for sure…but at least I'll be able to avenge my brother by putting that bastard behind bars…_

She picked up the speed a little, her fears being cast away with the road behind her.

Naraku leaned back in his chair and chuckled. Everything was going exactly as he planned. Get involved with the money-hungry girlfriend of InuYasha, woe her, and get her to help him take over his company. He already made lots of money from his "clients", but InuYasha's company had been in his sight for a very long time. Now he was managing it through Kikyo, his accounts were definitely growing exponentially.

Then Bankotsu came into the picture with his offer: Kill Sesshomaru and get even _more_ money in return. Naraku couldn't resist a good business deal, and besides, maybe he could get rid of Bankotsu and get his money too.

And Kikyo was supporting him with everything. Not to mention she was also good for "other" purposes. Life was good.

* * *

Kagura came in, dragging in a tied up body with a bag over the head, which he assumed was Sesshomaru's secretary. 

"Is that the girl?" Naraku asked just to make sure.

Kagura removed the bag violently to reveal a fear-stricken girl whose mouth had been covered with duct tape. She was sweating and seemed to have been crying.

Naraku seemed satisfied. "Put her in a cell and guard her until he comes," he ordered. Kagura dragged her out of the room.

Yes, it was all going according to plan.

* * *

Kagura dragged her to one of the more decent looking cells. She set her in the corner and removed her duct tape-covered mouth gently. She then chained her to the wall for show. She then got up and walked out of the cell, locking her in. 

"Sesshomaru-sama will come for me! You'll see, you creeps!" Rin shouted. Kagura sat down the hall. She definitely had to give to Rin for her acting skills: Naraku was really convinced that she was kidnapped!

_You're more of a fool than you let on Naraku…_she thought.

Now it was all up to Sesshomaru.

* * *

Sesshomaru "brutally injured" the seven or eight guards at the front door, to make it convincing that he was enraged and came to rescue Rin and kill Naraku, apparently "falling into Naraku's trap". What a bother, Sesshomaru thought. 

While walking in, he noticed the condition of the building; for a rich mobster, his headquarters certainly didn't reflect his wealth. Probably a scare tactic.

He turned down a maze of corridors, punching and kicking random guards or creatures or whatever out of his way, following Naraku's scent. The authorities were outside waiting for his signal to come in for the arrest. He was ready to "play along" with Naraku's plan. Just as long as Rin got out okay…

* * *

The echoes of pain crawling through the corridors. Sesshomaru was here for sure now. Soon foot steps could be heard. They were coming closer…and closer…and closer…until… 

…until a very angry-looking Sesshomaru Takahashi stood in Naraku's doorway.

Naraku smirked his signature evil smirk as he turned his entire body to face Sesshomaru. He placed his feet from his desk to the floor, crossing his legs instead. It seemed to Sesshomaru that it was an attempt to look professional.

"How very nice of you to join me, Sesshomaru-sama," Naraku said, his voice dripping with sadistic pleasure. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"I assume your looking for your young secretary, no? I ensure you she's safe, for now," Naraku continued. He snapped his fingers and soon Kagura came around the corner with a chained up Rin in hand. Anger flared through Sesshomaru, but his eyes remained calm and collected.

_Please let this be over soon…_Kagura thought as she dragged the girl closer to Naraku.

"Before I kill you, I want you to tell me some things," Sesshomaru said boldly. Naraku closed his eyes and let out a small chuckle.

"Even though _I_ will be killing _you_, I guess there's no harm in letting you know whatever you want before you die," Naraku replied, showing no signs of being truly serious anytime soon.

"First, why did you kill my brother?" Sesshomaru asked. Naraku laughed.

"Well, well, Sesshomaru…you're deciding _now_ to be the older brother figure? Hmf, no matter. He was in my way to getting what I wanted, which was his company. His girlfriend Kikyo was ever so useful in attaining that goal…now we're free to do whatever we want," Naraku answered. Figures, Sesshomaru thought.

"Well, if that's all you want to know, I believe your time in this world is up. But first I want you to watch me torture this little 'friend' of yours…" Naraku said, pulling out a large switchblade. Rin squealed through her duct-tape holding. Kagura was sweating nervously now. Naraku began to bring the blade down towards her chest…

Rin closed her eyes to embrace the impact she was about to confront. But it never came. She no longer felt Kagura's hands around her. She peeked open her eyes to see Kagura's figure in front of her. When she fully opened her eyes, she gasped.

Kagura's head was hanging low, as her arms were open wide in a protective stance. Rin saw the tip of the blade poking through Kagura's back. Naraku finally pulled the blade out, and Kagura fell over. He looked down at his subordinate with no emotion. A pool of blood began to surround her. Her eyes were lifeless.

Sesshomaru took this oppourtunity to attack Naraku while his attention was drawn to the body in front of him. Before Naraku could react, Sesshomaru punched him hard in the jaw, causing a loud "cracking" sound to resonate in the room. Naraku fell over, crashing into his desk. He freed Rin of her bindings, immediately assisting to Kagura.

"Kagura-san? Are you okay? Please Kagura-san! Just hold out a little longer!" Rin cried.

"I doubt she'll live now…" Naraku's voice said. He sat up, holding something in his hand. Sesshomaru believed it to be Kagura's heart, which had a dagger protruding it. It was beating irregularly and bleeding profusely. Naraku was smiling evilly, despite the purple swelling occurring on the left side of his face. Sesshomaru was angry now. With amazing speed, Sesshomaru stood nose to nose with Naraku, gripping his arm and wrist.

"I'll break your arm off if you don't revive her!" Sesshomaru hissed.

"Why have feelings for a useless puppet? That's all she ever was," Naraku said darkly. Sesshomaru lost it.

_Snap!_

Naraku cried in pain. The heart in his hand fell onto the desk. Naraku took hold of his broken arm and Sesshomaru took hold of Kagura's heart, being as gentle as he could. He walked over to Rin and Kagura's body, trying to figure out how he could save Kagura. Soon there was an insane cackling laughter from behind them. He turned to Naraku, who was holding a revolver, aiming at Sesshomaru's head.

"This is the end for you, Sesshomaru!" Naraku cried.

_BOOM!_

Soon the room was flooding with S.W.A.T officers all shouting for Naraku to drop the weapon and put your hands up. Naraku was dazed as he was surrounded by these people holding rifles as he dropped his weapon and held his one hand up. Shippo walked into the room.

"Naraku, you're under arrested for theft, fraud, robbery, armed robbery, pirating, holding, buying and possessing illegal substances, attempt at assassination, assassination, 25 attempted murders and over 674 murders," Shippo explained, reading off his notepad. "Oh, and speeding and driving without a license,"

Naraku could only glare as he was dragged out of the room by the officials. Finally it was over…Sesshomaru looked over at Kagura. It didn't have to go this way…

Suddenly, Kagura's eyes opened. She sat up, clutching her chest, breathing heavily.

"That bastard!" she said angrily. Shippo and Rin looked both confused and amazed at Kagura's "miraculous" recovery…Sesshomaru sighed…he'd let Kagura explain this one. Kagura noticing the looks on their faces began her explanation.

"You see, Naraku leaves often, so there's always oppourtunity to raid his office, especially since there's no surveillance in there, and besides, I live here. So shortly after I first came to see Sesshomaru-sama, I sneaked in here and stole my real heart back while he was out with Kikyo, replacing it with this other random fiend's heart that we keep in this place. My real heart is currently residing at the Tokyo hospital. I go under surgery next week,"

Everyone stared at her in slight disbelief. But that soon passed as they were glad for the most part that she survived. It was really a close call.

Now it was time to get InuYasha back home…

* * *

Sure, Kagome had been kissed before, but never as sincere like this. She never wanted it to end. InuYasha felt so warm against her, she hadn't felt this safe in a long time. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, as both parted from each other for air. 

Still having her arms wrapped around InuYasha she backed off slowly so she could look into his eyes. He did the same.

_How I could look into these eyes forever…_both thought at the same time.

"Kagome…" InuYasha whispered as he pulled her close. He dug his face into her hair and breathed her in as if she was his source of oxygen. She placed her ear against his chest and just listened to his heart beat.

For once, both felt like this was where they belonged.

* * *

Outside, watching from one of the windows of the airplane were Sango and Miroku, both trying not to laugh. 

"It's about time!" Miroku whispered. Sango giggled. She never felt happier for her friend. She could tell that he truly loved her. She looked back to the love birds then back to her own love interest.

"What a happy ending, eh?" he said turning around to face the horizon, where the sun was beginning to rise. She turned the same direction, snuggling close to Miroku. He tried to place his hand in an unwelcome area, but she quickly caught it and pinched his hand hard.

Sure, he was a pervert, but he was _her _pervert.

Sure, she was a slightly violent person, but she was _his_ slightly violent person.

Sango laid her head on Miroku's shoulder, who followed by resting his head on hers. They watched the sun rise further and further into the sky. Suddenly, something caught Miroku's eyes. It was far away, but he was certain of what it was. He immediately stood up.

"Guys! It's a helicopter! It's heading this way! A helicopter! We're saved!" Miroku shouted as he ran to the shoreline and began frantically waving his arms around. Sango squinted and noticed it too. She ran inside the plane.

"Guys, there's a helicopter! Hurry!" she said quickly running back to Miroku and began waving frantically. InuYasha and Kagome looked at each other confused, soon running behind Sango to see what the fuss was about.

Soon they saw it too. They could now hear the engine and the blades roaring through the morning sky. All four were waving frantically as it got closer and closer. When they realized it was planning to land on the beach they ran off near the plane. InuYasha covered Kagome's eyes from the flying sand, and Miroku covered Sango's. Soon they heard the engine dying, and the flying sand was slowly dissipating.

InuYasha looked up to see the door opening. Soon someone who he couldn't make out was standing in the door. Then the dust settled…

…and InuYasha wished the helicopter would leave.

* * *

"Inu-kun!!! I've missed you so much!" said a light-hearted (and _extremely_ relieved) Jakotsu. 

"I hope you're alright! I've been absolutely worried _sick_ about you! I don't know what I would do without my Inu-kun!" Jakotsu added, as he glomped his "Inu-kun". Kagome just watched, confused. So did Sango.

"Jeese, Jakotsu, calm down. You're an embarrassment," said another voice. They all looked over to the helicopter to see a man with a long braid in the fashionable suit.

"Ah, Bankotsu-san! Nice to see you again," Miroku said, holding his hand out to this "Bankotsu" person. He returned the shake.

"Same to you, Miroku," he replied.

"Miroku, InuYasha, you know these guys?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, they've done some work for InuYasha and his brother throughout the years," Miroku explained. Sango nodded, not too sure what to make of the situation. She turned to InuYasha who was currently being huggled by the other man who was called "Jakotsu". Needless to say, InuYasha didn't look too pleased.

"Please get off me," he said.

"No! I'm not letting you out of my sight for another minute!" Jakotsu declared. Bankotsu shook his head.

"C'mon Jakotsu, we're here to rescue him, not glomp the life out of him," Bankotsu said.

"Aww, please Bankotsu? It's been so long…!" he complained. Bankotsu sighed. InuYasha's anger was steadily growing. Kagome looked extremely perplexed…he was popular with girls _and _guys?

"Jakotsu, get a grip. We need to get back immediately. Those were Sesshomaru-sama's orders," Bankotsu explained. Jakotsu let go of InuYasha and sulked his way back to the helicopter.

"My brother sent you? Hmph…I guess I kinda owe him something then…" InuYasha said to himself quietly. Kagome smiled. She held out her hand to InuYasha.

"Come on, InuYasha. Let's go," she said. He smiled in return and took her hand. They boarded the helicopter. The engine started again. Miroku looked at Sango.

"Guess you wouldn't want to stay here, eh?" Miroku asked. Sango laughed as she motioned Miroku to follow her to the helicopter. He put his hand on her waist. Bankotsu looked around just to make sure nothing was left behind and got on the helicopter himself.

The door closed, and then they took off. All four looked down at the island which had been their home for so long. Once it was out of sight, they looked forward to the stretch of ocean ahead of them.

It was finally time to go home…

* * *

The helicopter pad was jam-packed with reporters all waiting for InuYasha's arrival. Security was struggling to keep them all tame as they struggled to break through the barriers which blocked their story. Only one person in the crowd was keeping their cool. 

Then the helicopter landed. The reporters went nuts. Cameras began to flash. The TV reporters were now speaking to their audience through the video cameras. The one person who wasn't a reporter began to make their way through the crowd.

The hatch opened. Out came Jakotsu then Bankotsu. A hush fell over the crowd as cameras zoomed in waiting for InuYasha to come out of the hatch. Then…the hanyou was in the door way. Reporters were shouting his name and questions.

"InuYasha! What was it like to be trapped on an island for nearly a month?"

"Who are the other people who were stranded with you?"

"What will you do with your company now that you've returned?"

It was all noise to his ears. Miroku followed him out, then Sango, then Kagome. People were shouting questions at them too. Seeing that InuYasha was off the helicopter and on the ground, the mystery person made their move.

"InuYasha! InuYasha! Over here!"

_Why does that voice sound so familiar? This scent…_InuYasha thought as he began to search the crowd.

"InuYasha!"

Then he saw her. He felt relieved, but for some reason…he wasn't overflowing with joy like he thought he would be…

"Kikyo!" he said as she threw herself in his arms. She began to weep.

"I was so worried! I had no idea what to do with myself! I-I…missed you!" she cried. InuYasha stroked her hair and breathed in her scent. It was so familiar, yet unknown to him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. She sniffed.

"I-it's okay…you're safe and that's all that matters!" she replied. Then she placed her lips against his.

Bankotsu and Jakotsu could only stand there. That was also part of Sesshomaru's orders: "_Do not tell him of Kikyo's actions until I speak with him. I want to show him myself_".

At first, InuYasha was a little shocked, but he soon returned it. It had been so long…maybe she had finally forgiven him while he was gone…maybe they could start over…

_Kikyo…_

And walking away towards the stairs, with tears streaming down her face…

…was Kagome.

* * *

Phew! That took a while! Please don't kill me for how this chapter went at the end; I have a plan!!! Believe me it was anything _but_ pleasant to write! Review please and stay tuned for Chapter 15! But first, I have to finish Chapter 2 of "Viva Las Vegas" and start my new Naruto fanfiction!!! So keep on look-out...I'm far from finished! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!


	16. Chapter 15: The Way It Should Be

Here it is! The last chapter of "Anything But Paradise!" Wow, this literally took me all day to write!!! It's really long, so bear with me. I was very reluctant to end it. Alas, though do not fret yet. I still have the epilogue to write. So technically _one_ more chapter! I just want to thank everyone who's been with me from the beginning! I just can't believe it's like 1 away from being over! Forever! Well, I hope you enjoy the almost last chapter of "Anything But Paradise!" !!!

Oh yeah, by the way, I gave Kikyo a last name. I don't think I did earlier. If I did, and it's different, I'm sorry! As usual, **Disclaimer: Anything affiliated with InuYasha I Do Not own. If I did, I'd be effin' rich!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 15: The Way It Should Be**

Getting settled back to how it used to be for InuYasha was a little harder than he first thought. His company was a mess, employees were scrambling around, stock brokers were calling asking when the value of the company would go up, and on, and on, and on…

InuYasha hung up the phone on an angry sponsor. He leaned back in his chair and massaged his temples. It had been a week since he came back from being stranded on that island. Everything that happened now only seemed like a dream, which was slowly slipping away from his memory.

He closed his eyes. Sometimes, he could still smell the fresh salt air. That island was sure damned more peaceful than this place; he had to give it that. Well, minus the tension between Miroku and Sango, and he and Kagome…

…Say, whatever happened to Kagome? He had tried to call her with the number that Sango (reluctantly) gave him the day they returned, but so far, no one had answered. Come to think of it, she seemed to have disappeared shortly after they got off the helicopter…maybe he would try once more, and let it ring for a while this time. If someone was home, they wouldn't be able to stand a ringing phone for that long.

He picked up the phone and dialed. He had lost track of the number of times he had tried to call to the point where his hand automatically dialed her number. Was she avoiding him? But why would she do that? And surely, she could've at least said "goodbye" or something before she left…

The ring tone sounded through his ear. 3 times…4 times…should he hang up now? He usually did. But no, he wanted her to pick up. 6 times…then he heard a click.

"Hello," Kagome's cheerful voice said.

"Kagome? It's me, InuYasha, I…"

"You've reached Kagome Higurashi! I can't get to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number after the beep, I'll get back to you as soon as I can,"

Damn. It was her machine. It beeped. InuYasha was at loss for words.

"Uh…Kagome? It's me, InuYasha…look I've tried to call but you haven't been at home or whatever. Where the hell are you? I just wanna talk to you, if you're there, please pick up…"

Suddenly, he heard someone pick up the phone. "Kagome?" He heard a sniff before he heard a click. She hung up on him!

_What the hell? Was she…crying? Gah!!! What the hell is wrong with her???_

He continued to massage his temples. Something wasn't right. He paged Miroku.

He was going to find out what was going on.

* * *

Kagome unplugged the phone. She was getting sick of that thing ringing all the time. Couldn't she get some peace and quiet in her own apartment? Besides, InuYasha was the last person she wanted to talk to.

She couldn't believe him. How could he lead her on like that? Why did she fall for such an arrogant ass in the first place? She saw his girlfriend. She was pretty and probably rich. They deserved each other.

And on top of that, the school she worked for was giving her the rest of the school year off, saying that she needed some "recovery" time or whatever. She had deleted that message when she got home. Kagome sighed. She didn't really care anymore, it's not like she felt like doing anything anyway.

_Life sucks…_she thought as she dug a bag of chips from her cupboard and headed back to her bed.

Her room was a disaster. There were wrappers, packages and crumbs all over the place. She passed a mirror in the hallway as she headed to her room. Her hair was array, her pajamas were starting to look dirty, and her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying she had done. She sniffed and trudged back to her room.

She lay in bed and flipped through the TV channels. When she landed on a soap opera, she opened her bag of chips. This had been her entire week: eat, cry, sleep, watch TV, eat and cry some more…wasn't depression wonderful?

"_Ricardo, you know I love you!_" the woman on the television said.

"_I love you too Sophia! More than the sun and stars combined!_" 'Ricardo' replied.

"Don't listen to the asshole! He's lying!" Kagome yelled, throwing the bag of chips at the TV. She felt tears welling up in her eyes again. God dammit, wasn't she out of tears already?

She cried herself to sleep again.

* * *

"You rang?" Miroku said, popping his head in the doorway. InuYasha turned his chair to face him.

"Yeah, um, Sango didn't happen to give you Kagome's address, did she?" InuYasha asked. Miroku seemed to ponder the thought for a moment.

"Not that I can recall, but we're going out tonight so I'll ask her and call you," Miroku replied. InuYasha nodded. There was a moment of silence. InuYasha decided to spark up some conversation for lack of anything else to do.

"So how are you and Sango doing?" he asked flatly.

"It's great! Actually, you won't believe what I'm actually going to do," Miroku responded, with a wide grin.

"Not grope her?" InuYasha said bluntly.

"Nope, better!" Miroku said. InuYasha got a little suspicious. Miroku dug his hand into his coat pocket. Out came a little black box. Miroku opened the box which revealed a simple diamond ring. InuYasha stared.

"You sure you wanna do that?" InuYasha asked. Miroku laughed as he put the box away.

"Of course. I always know what I want to do!" Miroku replied. InuYasha gave a small smile to his friend.

"Well, good luck," he said.

"Thanks man," Miroku replied, "You too, eh?"

InuYasha nodded. Miroku left and InuYasha rested his head on his desk. Man, was he tired. Maybe just a little nap…

* * *

There was a ringing sound next to InuYasha's ear which jolted him awake. He picked up the phone, thinking it was Kagome.

"Kagome?" he said.

"Kagome? Who's Kagome? You're not cheating on me, are you darling?" said Kikyo's voice.

"Oh, no. Just an…employee of mine. Had her do some research. Was just waiting for her to get back to me," he lied. To be honest, he was disappointed that it wasn't Kagome.

"Well, I was just calling to see if planned on coming home tonight. You've been cooped up in that office all week…or if you want I could come to you?" she teased.

"No, that's okay. But I'll probably be here again tonight. The company's a real big mess, so…"

"Okay," she pouted. "I guess I'll just go shopping then,"

_Yeah, you go do that…_InuYasha thought groggily. "Alright. Talk to you later," InuYasha said.

"Bye-bye darling! Love you!" she said, hanging up the phone. He did the same.

InuYasha looked at the clock. It was about seven o'clock. He yawned.

_Wonder how Miroku's doing…_

_

* * *

_

Sango looked beautiful. She wore a long black dress which accentuated her curves. It had one sleeve which just covered her shoulder. Her hair was hanging down, and damn did she smell nice.

Miroku just gazed at her from across the table as she scanned the menu. He was dining her at the "Shikon no Tama" restaurant tonight. A small jazz band was playing in the background. It was the perfect setting for his proposal.

She looked at him with her big brown eyes. She took a sip of her Chardonnay, and put her menu down.

"Well, I know what I'm having. How about you?" she asked.

How he loved her voice. He pretended to scan the menu. "I think I'm just going to have the veal…" Sango giggled.

"You must be a mind reader or something. Because that's what I'm having too," she replied. They even had the same taste in food!

The waiter came by and took their orders. Miroku took Sango's hand. His other was fidgeting with the little black box in his pocket.

"You know, even though we haven't really known each other that long, I feel like we've known each other for years," Miroku said.

"I know. Isn't it creepy?" Sango replied. Miroku smiled.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back. Miroku began to get nervous. Was this the right time or maybe after dinner? It was the first time he didn't know what to do.

"Say, uh…Sango? I have something I wanted to, uh…ask you," he stuttered. She looked confused.

"What is it?" she asked.

_Will you marry me?_ Miroku's mouth was open, but no words were coming out.

_C'mon, Miroku! You can do this! All you have to say is "Will you marry me?"_

Sango stared at him. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Just fine," Miroku swallowed. Maybe now wasn't the right time. "InuYasha, was uh, wondering if maybe you had Kagome's address. He wanted to visit her or something,"

_Well, that was better than nothing…_

Sango looked a little disappointed, but pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"To be honest, I don't think he deserves to see her after what he did," Sango said, scribbling something down. "I should probably go see her myself, to check up on her. If I know Kagome, she's probably gone into her depression cycle again,"

Sango sighed and handed the paper to Miroku. She had a point. He would call InuYasha later. There were more important things that Miroku had to do.

* * *

InuYasha felt himself going insane. Was Miroku going to call him or what? Did he not care that InuYasha was having a problem? That was just so Miroku!

_I'm going to break something if he doesn't call with that address soon!_

InuYasha began to pace around the room, talking out loud to himself.

"Maybe Sango hasn't given it to him yet…or maybe he hasn't asked? No, he would've asked by now…and surely he'd be able to coax it outta her or something…oh my God…maybe she killed him!!! Now what am I gonna do?! I'm losing my mind!!!"

InuYasha sat back in his chair and stared at the phone. Maybe with enough mind power it would ring on its own.

The phone just sat there. InuYasha stared harder.

Nothing.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

InuYasha picked up the phone and smashed it on the ground. When he came to reality, all he saw was his broken phone. He stood there stunned. Then he realized what he did.

"Oh no! Please don't be broken! I'm so sorry phone! Go back together!" InuYasha said trying to jam broken phone parts together.

"Why won't you fit?! No wonder I broke you, you piece of shit!"

Yup, InuYasha had lost his mind.

* * *

Kagome heard a voice that sounded like it was in her room.

_If you call within the next fifteen minutes of viewing this commercial, we'll send you the butt buster for FREE!_

Huh? What was this guy talking about? She opened her eyes and sat up. Her TV was still on, and was playing an infomercial on some sort of body workout thing for only 2000 yen…

She looked around her room. What a mess. Maybe she should clean up?

Later, she thought.

She flipped the channels to find something interesting to watch. Suddenly, she saw a flash of a very familiar face. She went back. It was InuYasha! He was being interviewed on the evening international news. Judging from the date, it was old.

"So, Mr. Takahashi, what are your plans for your company in the future?" the interviewer asked.

"Well, right now, we're working on new software that will actually be an option for deaf people to choose to start to hear. Kind of like a super-powered hearing aid," the TV InuYasha replied.

"Wow, anything else?"

"Hmm…I also want to help more schools get more computer resources for the kids, you know? Lots of schools lately are lacking the resources for kids to do research for projects and stuff, plus it'll be good for teachers too,"

_What a load of bull crap…if only people knew how much of an asshole he was…_

The interview went on to ask InuYasha about his childhood and whatever. Then it moved to his current (well at that time anyway) personal life.

"Have anyone special in your life right now?"

"Oh yeah, she's amazing. She's really nice and charitable. We can really understand each other and stuff," he replied.

_Obviously talking about Kikyo…I would never stand a chance with InuYasha…_

When Kagome felt herself getting upset again, she shut the TV off. She really needed to get herself off the ground. She got up, and went into the shower.

It was time to move on.

* * *

After dinner and desert, Miroku was even more nervous than before. Why was he so nervous? Surely proposing couldn't be _that_ hard…

_Oh, what the hell am I talking about?! This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life!!!_

He looked at Sango. She was beautiful. He truly loved her. He never really felt this way about anyone in his life. This is what he wanted. Soon, he felt himself gaining his normal courage again.

"Sango?" he asked.

"Yes?" she replied, turning to him.

"Even though we really haven't known each other that long…" _Yes, this is what I truly want…_ "I feel that you can really understand me and I can really understand you…" _C'mon, you're almost there…_ "And I've never felt this way about anyone else in my life…"

Miroku got up and kneeled next to Sango's seat taking her hands. She gasped and put one hand against her mouth.

"I love you, Sango Watanabe. Will you marry me?"

He noticed tears border lining her eyes. He hoped that she would say yes.

Sango couldn't believe what was happening. Miroku was actually _proposing_? To _her_?!

"I-I don't know what to say…I love you too…" Sango stuttered. She was so surprised.

_What are you waiting for, stupid?! Say YES!_

Miroku's face sort of dropped.

_Is she going to say no?_ He thought.

Sango opened her mouth, but no words came out.

_Say YES dammit!!! YES!!!_

"Y-yes!" she finally said.

_I knew it…I'm a failure…wait a minute…_

"Did you just say yes?" Miroku asked.

"Yes," Sango repeated, tears falling down slowly.

"Yes? Yes!" Miroku cheered. He pulled out the box from his pocket. She gasped,

"Miroku, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"You are too," he responded.

They kissed…both thinking of how happy they were going to be.

* * *

InuYasha woke up under his desk. Had he fallen asleep here? His neck was sore…so he must've.

He sat up. He soon remembered what happened the night before.

"Oh no! The phone!"

He stood up and headed to where the broken phone lay the night prior. He soon realized that it wasn't there.

_What the…?_

He looked at his desk. There sat his phone, all fixed. It couldn't have fixed itself, could it?

He noticed a sticky note on the phone. It read:

"_Nice job with your phone, boss. I took the liberty of fixing it for you this morning. What would you do without a genius kid like me? By the way, Miroku called. Her address is on the other side of the note. Shippo PS. You owe me one!_"

He was going to kill Shippo. After he thanked him for fixing his phone.

* * *

Well, it certainly wasn't perfect, but at least she and her apartment were clean. Kagome yawned as she went into the kitchen to find some _real _food to cook. It was around 4 o'clock and she was getting hungry.

She stared at her cupboards. Nothing there. She opened her fridge. Nothing much there, either.

_I'll have to go shopping later…looks like I'll just order in tonight._

She went over to the phone to find it unplugged. She plugged it back in and went to retrieve her phonebook. Soon the phone started to ring. Kagome picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Kagome? It's Sango," said Sango's voice.

"Hey! How are you?"

"I'm excellent! You'll never guess what Miroku asked me last night!"

"What?"

"He proposed!!! I'm getting married!!!!"

Kagome held the phone at a little distance away from her ear. Sango usually had a loud voice over the phone.

"Wow! Really? That's great, and about time too!"

"Yeah, I know! You are definitely going to be my maid of honour, okay Kagome?"

"Of course I will. Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you! Well, before I go, I also called to see how you were doing,"

"Oh, I'm alright. No need to be worried about me. You just worry about your wedding,"

"Well, that's good to hear Kagome. We should get together later, okay? I have to go. So I'll talk to you later?"

"Yup. Bye, and congrats again!"

"Thanks! I'm getting married! Bye!"

Both hung up the phone. Kagome felt really happy for Sango.

Maybe she'd be able to move on, after all.

* * *

InuYasha paced back and forth in front of Kagome's door. He knew he'd have to talk to her eventually. Why was he so nervous?

_She's probably gonna kill me or something! Gah! What do I do?_

Soon he found himself knocking her door.

Kagome heard someone knocking at the door. Was the food here already? Talk about fast service. She got the money that she placed on the counter and headed to the door. She opened the door.

"Wow, I didn't know that would come so fast…" she began.

There was InuYasha standing in her doorway.

* * *

InuYasha could only stare. He knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to ask her why the hell she'd been avoiding him. But no words would come out. He was paralyzed.

There was a deep silence between them. Kagome was the first to speak.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly. Anger was dripping from her voice. It made InuYasha wince.

"I wanted to see you…I've tried to call," he said meekly.

"I know," she shot back. Slowly, all of InuYasha's confidence was slipping away. He couldn't find his words.

"If you have nothing to say, then please leave," she said, beginning to close the door.

"Wait!" InuYasha said, stopping the door. "Wait…"

"What do you want from me? Haven't you used me enough?" Kagome yelled.

"Used you? What?"

"Don't play stupid. You led me to believe that you actually…just forget it. Go away," She began to close the door again.

InuYasha felt his anger getting the better of him, as he stopped the door again and forced himself inside her apartment.

"I led you to believe what?" he shouted.

"Like you don't know! I can't believe that I actually might've…God! Something was seriously wrong with me!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"_I love you!_" She screamed. InuYasha was left speechless. He noticed the tears bordering in her eyes.

"Kagome…I…" he began.

"Just…go. I don't want to talk to you," she said quietly, turning away from him.

"But, Kagome…" he started, putting his hand on her shoulder. She pushed it off.

"No. Just go. Please," she said staring at the floor, tears running down her cheeks.

InuYasha felt like nothing he could say would be effective. He slowly turned around and left.

Kagome closed the door behind him. She then slumped down and began to cry.

_What have I done?_

_

* * *

_

Another week went by. InuYasha couldn't think straight. He hadn't really found out why Kagome was mad at him…he just seemed to make it worse.

He thought about calling, but decided against it. He couldn't bear hearing the anger in her voice again. Besides, there was work to be done.

But he still couldn't shake what Kagome had said to him. Why did she accuse him of using her? He never did anything of the sort!

_I love you!_

Did she really mean it? InuYasha wasn't sure of anything anymore. Plus, Kikyo was starting to get on his nerves. She was calling him twice the amount of times he tried to call Kagome.

What was this feeling?

Soon there was a knock at the door. InuYasha turned around to face the window. He didn't want to have to deal with anyone today.

"Go away. I don't feel like talking with anyone today, Shippo," he said.

"Unfortunately for you, I _do _feel like talking," said a familiar voice.

InuYasha turned around and saw his older brother, Sesshomaru. He turned around again.

"What do you want?" InuYasha asked flatly. Sesshomaru was the last person he wanted to speak to.

"Not much, little brother. But I do have some business to discuss with you," he replied coolly.

"I already told you a million times that I'm _not_ selling my company to you," InuYasha answered.

"No, that wasn't what I had in mind. Actually, I wanted to discuss the circumstances of your 'disappearance'," Sesshomaru said. InuYasha turned around.

"Circumstances? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, let's just say it wasn't an accident," Sesshomaru said. He snapped his fingers, and young, familiar looking women with red eyes came in.

"Hey, don't I know you? Wait! You're that flight attendant!" InuYasha exclaimed. She nodded.

"My name is Kagura. And I have some things to tell you about the plane crash, as well as your girlfriend's involvement in it," she explained calmly.

"Kikyo?"

They told him everything, from the very beginning.

* * *

Kikyo was sitting at her vanity putting on her newest lipstick. She had actually been rather depressed since Naraku had been put in jail. She was also worried that she could be next. Luckily, InuYasha was too stupid to figure anything out.

"Hey, there, Kikyo," said a voice from behind her. She jumped slightly. She looked in her mirror. There stood InuYasha leaning against the doorway.

"InuYasha! Y-you scared me," she said. She put her lipstick down, and walked over to him and kissed him on the lips. He didn't respond.

"What's wrong, baby?" she asked.

"Who's Naraku?" he asked. Her eyes widened. He began to move forward, and began to move backwards.

"What are you talking about, darling?"

"Don't play dumb. I asked who Naraku was," His eyes looked angry.

"InuYasha, please, let me explain…"

"There's no need. I know about everything. And guess what, _darling_: You're going to jail. Forever," he said, with a smirk on his face. Soon she got angry.

"You can't do this to me! You can't prove that I did anything! You're nothing without me!" she screamed.

"Is that so?" he replied, uninterested. "Watch me. Come and get her, guys," he shouted to the door. Soon the room was filled with police officers. They put handcuffs on her and began reading her rights.

"Kikyo Hondate you're under arrest for attempt of assassination, forgery of a will, association with a criminal and theft, you have the right to remain silent…"

Kikyo's eyes were wide with fear. "No! Please don't do this! InuYasha! Please! You can't do this to me!" The officers just dragged her out the door.

Kikyo continued to struggle. She noticed Sesshomaru leaning against the wall. She was filled with anger.

"_You!_ I'll get you for this! You're all going to pay!" she screamed. Sesshomaru said nothing.

_Finally…it's all over…_

_

* * *

_

Kagome was flipping through the TV channels again. She landed on the news, where they were dragging some crazy woman into jail. Kagome looked closely.

_Oh my God! That's Kikyo!_

She turned up the volume to hear the report.

"_Kikyo Hondate, famous girlfriend of InuYasha Takahashi, was arrested this afternoon at InuYasha's mansion for accounts of attempted assassination, forgery of a will, association with a criminal and theft. It was released today that she was involved with the disappearance of InuYasha Takahashi along with Tokyo crime lord, Naraku. He was arrested a week earlier for numerous charges. Both will be tried in court, however dates are unknown._

"_Naraku has also been connected with the murder of local man, Kishimoto Watanabe and son Kohaku Watanabe. It is said that the survivor, Sango Watanabe will be testifying against Naraku in court when a date is set._

"_Sources say that Naraku and Kikyo had met six months prior to the disappearance, and having an ongoing affair. It is said that during this time they were plotting the murder of Takahashi-san. When our reporters asked for a statement from their lawyers, Naraku's lawyer said that his client had no comment, while Kikyo's lawyer said that the charges against his client were outrageous. However, he did mention that Kikyo would possibly plea for insanity. When our reporters asked for a statement from InuYasha, no comment was given._"

Kagome stared at the TV, completely shocked. She couldn't believe what she was seeing or hearing. So, the crash…was a set up?

* * *

InuYasha sat in his office. He had just turned off the TV from watching the evening news. He turned to Miroku and Sango who were standing there watching it with him.

"So there you have it," InuYasha stated.

"Yeah…I still couldn't believe it when they said they found my brother and father's murderer," Sango said. Miroku rubbed her arm.

"Well, I just can't believe neither I nor Kagome were mentioned throughout that entire thing!" Miroku said, sounding disappointed. Sango laughed.

"Get over it," InuYasha said.

"Say, how is Kagome doing? You did go visit her didn't you?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, but let's just say it didn't go too well," InuYasha replied, looking away.

"Well, whatever she did, slam the door in your face or whatever, you probably deserved it. You basically used her, you know," Sango explained.

"See? What is it with you guys saying that I used her! I didn't use her at all!" InuYasha said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Let's put this in perspective, InuYasha. You tell her you have a girlfriend. You act all nice and lovey-dovey around her, which would naturally, sweep her off her feet. Then you kiss, blah, blah, blah, and then what do you do? You completely forget about her and go off with your girlfriend again. And may I add, your 'girlfriend' is rather psycho," Sango explained, matter-of-factly.

InuYasha just stared at her. He had to let it all sink in. He reflected on his actions. Then it _finally_ hit him.

"Aw shit! I'm an _idiot_!" he yelled, banging his fists and head on the table. He started to do this repeatedly, muttering profanities each time.

"Glad no one had to tell you," Sango said.

"Uh, InuYasha? I don't think that's really good for you…" Miroku said, trying to stop his friend from losing anymore brain cells. He already had a short supply.

Suddenly InuYasha got up and grabbed his coat. Miroku and Sango looked confused.

"Where are you going?" Sango asked.

"I'm going to go see her!" InuYasha said. And with that, he left.

* * *

When he arrived at Kagome's apartment, she wasn't there. He found a small trace of her smell and began to follow it. He ran as fast as he could.

_Dammit, why didn't I notice before?_

Alas, because you DID NOT consult with ME before you acted!

_Don't tell me it's you again!_

Yes I am! You're one and only conscious!

InuYasha stopped to catch his breath.

_You really annoy me, you know that?_

Yeah, I do. But it's so much fun!

_Shut up. What do you want?_

You should be asking yourself that.

_You mean, what do I want?_

Precisely.

_That's the thing! I don't know what I want!_

Sure you do. You want someone who can love you for who you are, despite that you're a hanyou and not love you for your money. You made that mistake once already.

_Shut up._

Look, listen to me at least _once_. That's all I ask. You already have someone who loves you like that. Now, you have to decide how you feel about her. I'll ask again: what do you want?

InuYasha looked up at the sky and saw a lonely star. He dwelled on the thought for a while. He then smiled.

_I know what I want…

* * *

_

Kagome sat on the park bench. It was so nice just to sit outside on a night like this. The park was a good place to think at night. Plus, she could see all the stars from here.

The moon shone brightly. She could see the entire playground perfectly. She took in a deep breath of the night air. Not too warm, not too cold. It was just perfect.

The light breeze ruffled at her grocery bags and at her hair. Kagome just stared at the stars. It was truly beautiful…nice and quiet. She closed her eyes.

She heard the distant cars in the Tokyo downtown. She heard the wind rustling through the trees. She heard footsteps. They were coming nearer, and nearer. Soon she heard deep breathing.

_A jogger maybe?_

Soon the breathing was very close. She no longer heard the footsteps, just the breathing.

"Nice night, eh?" said a familiar voice. Startled, Kagome snapped her eyes open and leaned away from the source of the voice. When her mind began to process what she saw, she was able to breathe a little easier.

"InuYasha? You scared me," Kagome said, holding her hand over her heart.

"I seem to be doing that a lot lately," InuYasha said, looking up at the sky.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Same as you, I guess. Just to sit and think. It was nice, so I decided to take a walk, and I ended up here," he replied. Kagome looked away.

"I saw what happened to Kikyo," she said quietly. InuYasha's ears twitched.

"Thought you would, I bet everyone in the world knows about it. Didn't think it would spread that fast, though," InuYasha replied.

_Isn't he affected by it at all?_ Kagome thought, as she stared at him.

"I know you're probably thinking that I'm not at all affected by this, but believe me, I am," InuYasha said, glancing at the confused look on her face.

Kagome slightly blushed. Not many people besides Sango could read her like that. Not many guys, that is.

"But, you know, I looked at everything that happened, and decided that everything happens for a reason. I mean, I got to me you, didn't I?" InuYasha said. Kagome blushed more, but fought it.

"You don't mean that," she said, turning away again. "You were very happy to be reunited with her…"

InuYasha looked at her. It was exactly what Sango had said. So Kagome really was upset…he felt like such an idiot.

Silence fell between them for a moment. Kagome was the first to speak.

"InuYasha…why? Why did you kiss me?" she asked. Instead of anger, her voice was hinting being hurt more than anything.

_That must be what everyone means by me "using" her…I guess I kinda did…but…_

"Because…I-I…was afraid. You almost died. I didn't want to lose you. I…I care about you Kagome," InuYasha said. In the corner of her eye, she could see that he was blushing too.

She didn't say anything. He continued.

"Even though it took me a while, I finally saw Kikyo for what she really was. I had to think about what I really wanted, and I realized it was nothing material, or even Kikyo. I realized that I wanted _you_, Kagome. I realized that had fallen in love with you,"

Kagome felt her heart beating faster and faster with every word. Was he actually saying what she thought he was saying? She turned to look at him. She then noticed that he had gotten a lot closer.

"Please Kagome. Give me another chance," he said, his eyes pleading for her to say yes.

_What should I do?_ She thought. He took her hand. She remembered all the times they had spent together. They were truly wonderful memories. But she had to do what she had to do.

"InuYasha, I wasn't kidding when I told you I loved you. I guess I still do, but I'm not going to allow myself to be hurt again," Kagome said. InuYasha's eyes saddened. She continued.

"You already had a girlfriend, yet you made me fall in love with you. Not to mention you tried to put me in a panic attack with the spider thing,"

InuYasha gave a little chuckle. So did Kagome, recalling the look on his face when she woke up.

"You comforted me and then kissed me. But then we came back, and you went back to your girlfriend. It made me feel used, hurt and betrayed,"

Each of these words stung InuYasha, since they were the opposite of what he truly wanted her to feel. InuYasha let go of her hand and stared at the ground.

"You're right. You deserve someone better than me, Kagome. I'm a complete jerk who doesn't know a thing about women. I understand why you wouldn't want me," InuYasha said. Kagome sighed.

"You didn't let me finish," she stated. He looked at her. Was there still some hope?

"Yes, you _are_ a jerk who doesn't know anything about women. You're also arrogant, rude, out spoken, somewhat sexist, lazy---"

"I get the point," InuYasha said, frowning. She had to laugh. She then began to stroke his ear. He twitched with a jolt of enjoyment.

"But somehow, you're the most amazing, most kind wonderful person I've ever met. I love you, and only you, InuYasha Takahashi. And I am more than willing to give you another chance," she said. InuYasha smiled.

"Really?" he asked-just to make sure. She giggled.

"Yes, really," she replied. He pulled her into his arms and began to breathe in her scent. It was so comforting, and she felt very warm against him.

"I love you…" he whispered into her ear. She looked into his eyes.

"I love you too," she whispered back. He smiled, and then he brought his lips to hers. Kagome quickly responded, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Above them, a meteor shower began to fall.

This was the way it should be.

* * *

There it is! I just had to have InuYasha aruge with his conscious one last time before the story was officially over! Please REVIEW and watch for the Epilogue! It should be out tomorrow night or something! sniff It's so close to the end!!!!!! Hope you enjoyed!


	17. Epilogue: Anything But Paradise

This is it. The _abosolute_ **last chapter** of "Anything but Paradise!" I can't believe it. I actually finished a story. That was more than one chapter! This is truly a milestone for me, and I have all of **you**, that's right, all of **_YOU_** to thank for it! I want to thank ALL of my readers who have stuck with me since the prologue and everyone who reviewed, I deeply, deeply, _deeply_ appreciate it! I'm sad to see it end, but this is a new beginning for me to work on my two newest stories, "Viva Las Vegas" and my Naruto one, "The Experiment". Please feel free to read them. But once again, **_thank you all_** for supporting me and putting up with my tardiness! So here is, the **last chapter/epilogue** of **Anything but Paradise!**

**Disclaimer:** **InuYasha or anyone affiliated with him is not mine!**

**_

* * *

_**

**Epilogue: Anything but Paradise**

The sun shone brightly, as the sea birds sang and squawked over head in the sky. The waves lightly touched the shore, but roared thunderously out farther into the blue waters. A light ocean breeze blew through the palm trees, with the subtle smell of sea salt.

Kagome sighed as she watched the clouds float freely overhead. She turned her head towards her boyfriend, InuYasha, who was taking an afternoon nap. Beside him, sat Miroku and Sango who were engaged in a small, intimate conversation. Behind them was a large summer villa which had just finished construction under a week ago.

It had been almost two months since they had all experienced the events on the island. Since then, InuYasha had purchased it and built the villa, "because it was a lot quieter there," he said.

Naraku and Kikyo had finally had there trial. With the help of Bankotsu and Jakotsu, enough evidence was brought forward to have them both charged for all of the accounts they were being accused for. Sango's testimony was also helpful in proving Naraku's ties to her brother's and father's murder. "We can all rest peacefully now," she told Kagome. They were both sentenced to a life sentence in jail with no possibility of bail or parole.

Sesshomaru helped InuYasha with getting his company back on its feet again. Kagura's heart surgery went well, and when she recovered, Sesshomaru gave her a job as an account in his own company in New York. Soon all four of them flew home after all the drama with the courts was over.

She looked back up at the sky. InuYasha was right, it was quieter here. It was also very peaceful, and full of lots of good memories. She smiled. She looked back at InuYasha. He was so cute when he was sleeping.

And damn did he look fine!

Kagome laughed to herself. She had never been happier than she was now. Sometimes she had to pinch herself to remind her that it wasn't a dream.

"Having fun?" asked InuYasha's voice. She turned to face him.

"Have a nice nap?" she asked. He yawned, stretching out his well-toned arms.

"Yeah, but I asked you first," he retorted. She smirked.

"Yes, I'm having a wonderful time," she said, putting on an upper-class like voice.

"Glad to here it," he replied. A waiter came around and offered drinks. InuYasha took an island breeze cooler, and Kagome took the same. InuYasha motioned Kagome to come sit next to him on his beach chair, which she complied.

He rubbed her back as she sipped her drink. Miroku and Sango were still in deep conversation.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Kagome asked. InuYasha shrugged.

"Probably wedding stuff. Actually, I had something I wanted to talk to you about," he explained.

"Really? What about?" she asked. She noticed that InuYasha was starting to get a little nervous.

"Well, we've been going out for a while…and I really like you, and you really like me, so I was thinking…"

"Yes…?"

"Maybe we could…you know…"

"What?" Kagome had a feeling in her gut at what he was trying to ask.

"Maybe we could…get married too, you know?"

"InuYasha Takahashi, are you proposing to me?" Kagome asked. Miroku and Sango were now watching in interest. InuYasha was blushing.

"Yeah…I guess so…" he said meekly. Kagome kissed him.

"Yes. I would love to marry you," she said softly. He smiled, and kissed her.

Miroku and Sango smiled, and decided to give them some "alone" time. Miroku took Sango's hand and they ran down to the shore to have a swim. Kagome and InuYasha, who were embracing each other, watched as one tried to splash the other.

"Should we join them?" Kagome asked.

"Sure…but first…Kagome, do you really wanna be with me?" InuYasha asked.

"Yes…you're everything to me. Even if being with you is anything but paradise," she replied. He smiled and they kissed again. Soon they joined Miroku and Sango as they played in the ocean.

THE END!

* * *

I hope you enjoyed, and I apologize if the ending seemed a bit cliche. But I finished it, so I don't mind. Feel free to REVIEW!!! And check out my other stories!!!


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